A Hero's Tears
by EmberFalcon
Summary: Link failed to protect Zelda. As a result, she is injured. Weighed down by guilt, Link turns away from the childhood friend to be nothing more than a protector, but he ends up in a huge mess when...
1. Chapter 1

This is my first Legend of Zelda fic, so I apologize if I get anything screwed up (character traits, behavior, etc) because Link is mute in roughly every game albeit battle cries and whatnot. Zelda might be a tad OOC toward the end, but other than that, this is a Link x Zelda fic, because they're just that cool. Enjoy, readers, enjoy!

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Darkness…

Silence...

Those were the hidden figure's only two companions of the indistinguishable person cloaked in a blanket of shadows as its hand swept a stray branch of leaves that belonged to a bush on the forest's border to better view its target. Mere yards ahead of him, a single rectangular beacon of light jutted out of the black abyss that covered the land of Hyrule, seemingly drawing the stealthy silhouette to it like a lost sailor would be drawn to a lighthouse beacon. Surrounding this small box of light was a hardly detectable outline of a massive castle, it towers seeming to rise above Hyrule itself, as if protecting it from the darkness.

The figure's attention turned to another shadowed figure that wandered much more openly around the field surrounding the castle that it recognized as a royal guard. The patrolling guard appeared to be wearing armor of unknown color, but the figure was almost sure it was dull copper, and a long spear nearly a foot taller than its wielder. The armed guard stopped seemingly to scan the area, at which time the stealthy silhouette ducked behind the branches of leaves his arm had been pushing aside for fear that the guard would see his deep ocean blue eyes reflecting the moonbeams that streamed down onto all of Hyrule. The stealthy figure waited with baited breath to see what the patrolling guard would do. When the guard carrying the spear saw there was no danger, it turned and disappeared from around the corner of the castle.

Seeing its opportunity, the shadow leapt from its hiding spot in the thicket and darted toward the beacon of light mentioned before, and its true appearance was revealed against the moonlight. It was a young man, no older than eighteen, his blonde hair gleaming with little beads of sweat that now trickled toward his forehead. His long bangs swept to the side to rest just above his right eye, while two thick wisps of his hair hung in front of his ears, just long enough to brush his chin when the wind blew it while the rest of his blonde hair remained short and wild in the back; it was a unique haircut, but one he had felt best suited him…unique. His toned body was protected by a green tunic; underneath said article of clothing was a crisp white, longer sleeved commoner's shirt, along with the off white pants to match, the ends of which were tucked inside of two brown leather commoner's boots. Yes, my friends, this young figure was Link, the hero of time. Right now, however, he felt not like a hero, but an evanescence of what might have once been one. The memory of what made him feel so much self hatred burned in his mind, tightening its clutch over his heart with guilt and sorrow.

Upon approaching the light that hung above the man in the castle window, its dim light showed Link the thick vines that had grown in between the stones the castle was made of over time. He deftly whipped out a strange mechanism that almost appeared to be some sort of glove, albeit three steel claws that jutted out of where your hand was supposed to go. He raised the glove to aim it at the vines before firmly pressing his thumb on a hidden button inside the glove. The three steel talons suddenly flew from their place on the glove, a thick, sturdy chain trailing behind it like a demented kite string.

KA-CHANK

Access granted.

The glove jerked Link up onto the wall of vines that his clawshot had lodged itself in before he managed to grasp the vines and use them as a makeshift ladder to reach the window that the light was spilling lazily from. Upon lifting himself over the sill of the afore mentioned window, he was greeted by the sight of the very person whom he had loved, who he still loved…

…who he had failed to protect…

The woman turned toward Link, her long light blonde hair trailing behind her elegantly to rest behind her at the small of her back. Her soft blue eyes gazed at him fondly, though her gaze was not met. Her soft pink gown swished around her ankles with her every movement, leaving Link to gaze longingly at her long, thin body. Her creamy skinned cheeks were painted a light pink as he stared at her.

"My lady…" He hardly managed to croak out, still trying his hardest not to look into her eyes, for fear of what look he would be greeted with. Her sudden laughter nearly made him go against his fears, mainly because of the lightness and joy it held, as if he was not to blame for what had happened.

"Link, what's with this 'my lady' stuff? You should know by now that my name is Zelda, and you can call me by that alone! There's no need for such formality…" Her voice trailed off as she watched him lower his head, trying desperately to hide behind his long dark blonde bangs. Zelda watched as he stepped closer to her slowly, almost agonizingly so. "Link-" Before she could continue, Link embraced her as tightly as he would dare. She stiffened in his arms a moment, but eased herself into his hold.

"I'm sorry…my lady…I'm so sorry…" He had tried not to cry in front of his childhood friend and ruler of both Hyrule and his heart, but the moment he felt the bandages on her stomach against his fingertips, knowing he was to blame for her injury, he could no longer contain his sorrow. Before he could stop himself, tears began to trail sluggishly down his cheeks, her blonde tresses absorbing the evidence of his sorrow.

"Link, what…?" He stepped back from her, breaking their embrace as he neared the window.

"I don't know how or why you would still ask of me to meet you here. I don't understand why, after my failure…" His voice trailed off as his head lowered once more. "I'm sorry." He repeated before turning and preparing to jump out of the window.

"Link, wait-!" Zelda caught his hand just as he sat on the sill, one leg still bent to rest his foot on the ledge. "What happened earlier…that wasn't your fault. It was because of my own recklessness that I was injured."

"No…that's not the point…" Link turned his head back toward the stars. "I swore to protect you no matter what the cost. I vowed to your own father that no harm would befall you so long as I was there. I failed…I failed both you and your father. I would have failed Hyrule if the healer hadn't done something…I can no longer call you by your name like I did when we were children. I can no longer ease myself when I am near you. I can only stand as your protector. Because when I am your friend, your life is at stake." It took all that Zelda had not to cry out in pain as she stood there and grasped his hand for all she was worth. "Goodnight…my lady…"

Before she could stop him, he was gone.

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Sorry about the whole vagueness of it all in this chapter, but all will be explained in the next one! I needed something to make people want to keep reading it! So…review, please!


	2. Guilt and disappearance

As I said in the last chapter, everything will be explained in this chapter (how Zelda got hurt, why Link is going on a guilt trip, that sort of thing) so this chapter will be substantially longer than the first. So…enjoy!

Oh…and the enemies mentioned in this chapter are called ogres, but picture them as the enemies you have to fight in Twilight Princess, which looked like ogres to me.

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Zelda could only stare into the blackness of night through her window, praying that the next time she saw Link he would be back to his spirited self again. What he had said had not completely missed her, because she could understand a few of his points; he was feeling guilty because he hadn't gotten to her in time when she needed him to, so she ended up getting hurt, but the wound wouldn't have been fatal, even without the healer that had been in the village next to the battle scene. Why he felt so much self hatred over such a minor wound was a mystery to the princess of destiny, though no matter how much she wanted to solve that mystery herself, it was nearly impossible for her to physically search for Link (the damned guards would recognize her instantly and haul her straight to the king). She considered using her Sheik disguise…after all, it worked wonders on even Link when she used to use it frequently, and no one was able to recognize her when she was in the Castle Square so long as she didn't bear the triforce symbol on any of her clothing. She walked over to her wardrobe, pulling back the mahogany doors a moment before fumbling deftly through the many articles of clothing she owned.

Upon further searching, she came across her black cloak and grey-silver short commoner's dress. Satisfied with her findings, she quickly changed out of her current gown, which –if she left the castle wearing- would have been like tattooing 'PRINCESS ZELDA' on her forehead. As beautiful as she felt in such an elegant gown, it practically screamed her title of status. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that it hardly registered in her head that she had competed the task of changing clothes. She turned and inspected herself in the mirror. She looked simple enough, just enough that no one would recognize her straight away. Her brows knitted together in a frown. Though it was an improvement, anyone within three feet of her would know who she was. So, she lifted her hood on the cloak to shield her eyes from view. Her frown was replaced with a smirk. Now that her hood was properly adjusted, no one could distinguish her from any other commoner unless they looked under her hood in the proper light (which there was none, thankfully) so now she was all but free to do as she pleased, though her only focus right now was on finding Link.

Subconsciously, she closed her eyes, her hand reaching up to hover just above where her heart was beating rhythmically in her chest. She needed to find Link before midday tomorrow, or else one of the maids (though it would most likely be Impa) would come in to her room only to find that she had long since left. If the king ever found out about this…even though this _was_ the hero of time we were talking about…he would be infuriated.

_Link…Link…can you hear me…?_

She had to reach him…she just had to. It would hurt too much to let Link go like this. The both of them are hurting because of his guilt and admirable protectiveness of her. Though Link was trying to forget that they were childhood friends, she refused to lose him so easily, especially when she would be losing him to himself.

---

The forest was a blur of colors to Link as he ran further and further away from the castle. He needed to stay as far away from that place as possible when he wasn't needed there. He wasn't sure of where he was going, or where he would end up, and he vaguely realized that the darkness had nothing to do with that problem; he had the night vision of an owl and the instincts of a wild beast, but right about now he only wished he could call upon those skills to aid him in healing his heartache. The pain was slowly consuming him, the talons of guilt slashed at his heart mercilessly, causing him to clutch at his chest subconsciously as he continued to dart and weave through the forest. A tree root that had long since been uprooted from the ground caught his foot, and he fell to his knees just as he felt something in his chest throb painfully. It didn't physically hurt, but the sensation of another being so close to him spiritually, having another aura wrap around him, knowing who that aura belonged to, made his heart hurt worse.

_Link…Link…can you hear me…?_

Oh he could hear her alright. How could he not? Her soothing voice was resonating off of the walls of his very soul. He couldn't help but notice how vulnerable he felt (which he had not experienced in a long time) and how ridiculous he knew he must have looked. Not that anyone else was going to see him, but he still felt like an idiot for acting so foolish even when she wasn't physically there.

"Zel….." he mentally cursed himself for slipping up. Her aura had calmed him into that lax feeling he always had when he was around Zelda, either physically or telepathically. "…My lady…what troubles you?"

_Link, you know what is wrong. What you said earlier is completely false. You don't have to ignore the fact that we are best friends, and my injury was inflicted at my own fault. Don't you remember…?_

He cringed. He did remember. That moment had been haunting his every thought no matter how hard he tried to forget…to forget his failure…

_She had been there to greet him at the front gate when he cantered Epona inside the castle grounds, much to Link's surprise. Zelda was usually not allowed to leave the castle without at least half a dozen guards with her, but it's not like Link was necessarily _complaining_ about it; this meant he actually got to spend some time with Zelda alone other than his night time trips to her window. She smiled her greeting at him before turning her attention to Epona's chestnut brown coat, frowning at the blotches of dried mud that clung to her usually glittering fur. The black fur on her legs appeared more of an ashy grey from dust that had been kicked up in her wake. It had honestly looked like Link hadn't bathed his horse in days (and upon further inspection of the said hero, he hadn't bathed himself, either). Her thin brows knit together in a small frown of disproval. _

_"Neither of you have bathed in a while, have you?" It seemed more of an observation than a question, but Link felt he had to say something in his defense (no matter how pathetic the excuse would be)._

_"That we haven't; keeping Hyrule safe takes up a lot of our time, eh, girl?" Link patted Epona's neck affectionately, to which the steed snorted an agreement. Zelda could only laugh and shake her head at the hero of time. She opened her mouth to reply, but a sudden commotion in the castle's main hallway caught both her attention, as well as Link's. _

_"By the goddesses…what is going on in there?" Zelda cried in confusion. Link already had the Master Sword drawn in front of him as he charged at the great doors._

"_You wait here!" He called from behind him as he raced into the castle. Zelda, who either hadn't heard or acknowledged his demand, hardly hesitated a moment before drawing her own blade and hurrying in after Link had disappeared through the doors. The sight that welcomed the two teens was unbelievable. Blood stained the otherwise glistening marble floors in massive puddles, the bodies that blood belonged to lie mangled and spread across the floor, some missing limbs, or heads, others had weapons drawn through them, either stabbed or decapitated was probably the easiest way to describe the dead corpses that dotted the hall. The walls were blotched with splatters of blood that had sprayed from their original bodies they had sustained. Those few soldiers who were alive had not entirely gotten off scott free; some had decapitated arms, others bore minor bruises and/or cuts. The one's responsible for such a heinous act appeared to be a pack of what looked like at least two dozen renegade ogres that had escaped the mountains and were now rampaging throughout the hall. For what purpose they were here was beyond anyone, but it was a dilemma that still needed to be dealt with, no matter how ridiculous it seemed._

_Giving off a cry of anger and rage, Link charged into the maw of snarling beasts and brave knights, working his way into the center of a crowd of half the group of ogres before he spun on his heel an entire three hundred sixty degrees with his blade held firmly at arm's length. The attack sent eleven of the beasts reeling backward to their deaths, the twelfth, however, had managed to survive the blow (mainly because it was indirectly hit) and stumbled backward enough to fall on his back. Seeing his opportunity, Link leapt into the air above the dazed ogre lying on the ground. Before the monster even registered what had happened, the Master Sword was lodged firmly into its chest, finishing off one of the twenty-four of those ogres that had befallen the castle._

_Zelda was fairing just as well as her protector was. On the opposite side of the battle, she had managed to catch one of the monsters from behind and stab him in the back- an almost instantaneous kill. She whirled around just in time to parry and oncoming blow that would have split her skull; an ogre tried using her same methods of killing from behind with its axe, but Zelda was not to be underestimated as a woman. She pushed the axe blade off of her sword, and before the ogre could retaliate, she sliced the wooden handle just above the ogre's hand, rendering the –now amputated- axe blade absolutely useless. Another swish of her sword in the opposite direction had the ogre decapitated cleanly. Just as she turned toward Link to see his progress –in which time he managed to eliminate two more ogres as the knights left all but two ogres standing- she almost failed to see the ogre charging at her from the side. The said beast knocked her in the side with its shield, throwing her onto the floor at Link's feet._

_"Zelda-!" Before he could see if she was alright, another ogre hurled himself at the two fighters. With a growl of annoyance, Link shoved the attacking menace away from the princess and stepped between the two, quickly dispatching the ogre. Zelda's sudden cry of pain made Link wheel around, his eyes widening in horror._

_He had ignored the other remaining ogre._

_He had been careless._

_Because of his foolishness, the ogre's blade now stuck out of Zelda's side, a dark crimson stain beginning to blossom on her light pink dress. Her eyes grew blank as they stared ahead of her, seemingly to see right through Link and gaze into the wall behind him. A knight managed to decapitate the final ogre just after it removed its blade from Zelda's side, but the damage had already been dealt._

_"Zelda…!" Link managed to whisper as she tilted into his arms before her legs gave out underneath her from the shock. "Zelda…I told you to stay away-!" He spoke much more urgently now, his arms tightening around her shoulders, mindful of her wound. She looked up at his worried face and managed a warm smile._

"_It's alright…it's just a flesh wound…that's all…" Her voice trailed off as she rested her forehead against his shoulder. Her eyelids fluttered shut as she seemed to lean more into Link's arms. At this point, any numbness was replaced with the complete panic that swept over his body. "ZELDA!" _

---

He had remembered lifting Zelda into his arms –despite her faint protests- and ran out to Epona to ride out to Kokiri Village to seek out a healer, for the doctor in the castle was off on a summons to the knight's quarters tending to the sick from a plague that had befallen the soldiers of Hyrule. The blooming crimson on Zelda's dress continued to spread slowly, and with each shade that the stain grew darker, the more guilt and panic was drilled into Link's heart. The healer had told the hero that the wound was not fatal, and that Zelda was only going through lightheadedness from blood loss, but the doctor was certain that Zelda had been right in saying that it was only a flesh wound. The princess herself had insisted that she was fine after Link had bandaged her side and cleaned the blood off of her flesh around the puncture area, but he had insisted that she not move for at least a day until he even considered moving her. He sent word by Epona to the king as to why his daughter was in Kokiri Village being treated for a wound. Though the king assured Link that it was not the hero's fault, and that he was just relieved that nothing worse had become of this, Link could not be consoled. The fact that Zelda's blood had transferred somewhat onto his tunic hadn't helped convince him otherwise, as he washed the green article of clothing in the stream, trying not to show anyone the tears that fell from his ocean blue eyes.

_Do you remember…?_

"Yes, I remember."

_It is not as if you were the one who had done that to me, and it would have been worse if you hadn't killed the other ogre in front of us. You fought valiantly and tried your hardest, Link, and nothing you can say will convince anyone otherwise. You are my best friend, and you always will be. So, please…call me by my name, alright?_

Something in the back of his mind suddenly clicked, and there, kneeling in the forest thicket, Link actually understood why Zelda had been so forgiving toward his failure; he had tried. Unlike so many of the Hylian guard who panicked in the face of danger, he had stood his ground to defend her at all cost. It was then that he understood that he couldn't protect her from everything, and that things were going to go wrong, but so long as he tried his hardest, and pushed even beyond his limit, no one would hate him, and he shouldn't hate himself for trying.

"Thank you…Zelda...for everything." The corners of his lips tugged upward into a soft smile, and he was almost sure she could see it, could feel it.

_And thank you, Link._

"Zel-" Before he could even finish speaking her name, he felt something hit the back of his head, and he was sent reeling forward and into the darkness of unconsciousness.

_Link…Link? LINK!_

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Okay, I swear this isn't the end, and yes, the ending will be happy, so stick around!


	3. Trapped

Ugh…writer's block sucks. I am so sorry for the wait, but I couldn't decide how this chapter was going to end. I hope you guys are as satisfied with this as I am (but this still isn't the end). So, enjoy readers!

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Link's mind was a blur of throbbing pain and clouded vision as he gradually regained consciousness. His ocean blue eyes slowly emerged from behind their eyelids, blinking dazedly before his vision refocused. Though it was dark, he still managed to see his crystallized puffs of breath as he inhaled and exhaled shakily from his slightly agape mouth. He vaguely felt his body shiver from the cold that had consumed his body while he was unconscious.

He felt so…cold…

His eyes were now fully adjusted to the dark, so he was allowed a better view of his surroundings. The ice that surrounded him seemed to glow in the pale moonlight.

Wait a second…_ice_…?

He rubbed his eyes with a numb hand, before blinking again. No mistaking it; the room he was in was pure ice- the walls, the floor, the barred door…

……………

_BARRED DOOR?_

Link racked his brain for any recollection of what happened that led to here. He had gone to the castle, hugged Zelda, apologized for his stupid behavior earlier, ran from the castle…then…Zelda contacted him telepathically…then…nothing. His thick golden blonde brows knit together in a pointed frown. What wasn't he remembering? He remembered thanking Zelda for comforting him…then…then he was hit in the back of the head…

And then it clicked.

Link was not nearly as slow as people made him out to be. He was more than capable of connecting the ogre attack on the castle to his sudden waking up in a cell made of nothing but ice. Damn, what the hell did the ogres want with him? What were they trying to accomplish when they attacked the castle? This behavior was not like the ogre tribe of the mountains. They were a very isolated group, and only attacked when being attacked, or whenever they felt endangered. There had been no conflict between the ogre tribe and Hyrule before, so what had caused the sudden change in behavior? It was not as though Link (let alone anyone else) could simply ask them; ogres only spoke in grunts and growls, so that idea was completely pointless.

His contemplations were cut short at the loud thumping noises that echoed down the icy hall from where he was being kept. He stood uncertainly on the slippery ice, mentally cursing the fact that he had left his hat at home before he left to see Zelda because he had lost all feeling in the back of his head. The source of the loud noises just so happened to be coming from an ogre about three times his size in both height and width that had just appeared before him on the other side of the barred door, as if teasing him with the luxury of freedom that the hero of time no longer possessed, confirming his suspicions that it was the ogre tribe that had taken him prisoner. The barred door was thrown open with one sweep of the ogre's massive arm as it entered the cell Link was being held in.

Instinctively, Link reached behind his left shoulder to grab the amethyst phoenix winged hilt of his Master Sword, but cursed loudly when he remembered that he had left not only his Master Sword in a protected chest at home, but his bombs, arrows, slingshot, iron boots, gale boomerang, spinner, and even his lantern all tucked away in that chest in his basement, and right about now he was pretty sure that if he used his clawshot on this behemoth, he'd just piss it off. He never took any of his weapons with him to see Zelda (mainly because, heaven forbid, that he was ever caught, they couldn't say it was to necessarily harm anyone in the castle). Hell, he didn't even have any potions of any type on him, so he was basically at the mercy of this ogre that may very well be his warden and/or executioner.

Link's eyes traveled down its armored body, what parts of its green scaly form were visible were coated with a thin sheet of frost around the ends of every individual scale. Its red, piercing eyes glared at him through the armored helmet it wore on its head, and without his weapons, the hero of time was feeling pretty small in comparison (hey, wouldn't you?) Without warning, it lunged at Link, catching him off guard. With no shield, the best defense he could put up was raising his arms in front of his upper body and hope to get in some blows whenever he could. The ogre's fist connected with Link's left forearm solidly, making his entire arm recoil from the aftershock of the blow. Link cringed as he felt the bone give off a sickening '_crack_' that seemingly echoed throughout the hollow chamber, despite the copper gauntlet that ran from his elbow to his wrist. That was his sword arm…his stronger arm. Either he had to back down soon or come up with some extra advantage to fall back on. He tried to retaliate with a right hook to its exposed chin, but at the last possible second, it turned its shoulder into the path of his fist, and caused his knuckle to collide with the spike on its metal shoulder pad. Luckily, Link managed to restrain his punch just enough so that the worst damage dealt to his hand was that his knuckle was split open, rather than his entire hand being run through with a spike. He jerked his hand back as the blood from the open knuckle trickled slowly from the wound. He cursed under his breath but tensed up for the next blow nonetheless.

Damn, this ogre was surprisingly fast for its size. Link was barely managing to dodge its blows, and his exhaustion was quickly beginning to settle in. He could feel the air ruffle his bangs as he ducked to avoid a punch that had barely missed his left temple. The ogre's other fist, however, managed to connect with his right side firmly, sending the hero sprawling on the floor. He cried out in pain as felt at least one of his ribs crack upon landing on the uneven and jagged ice, causing him to clutch his side with one arm in an attempt to ease away some of the pain that came with so much as a single twist of his body. He tried standing up, but grunted in pain as his side injury stalled him a moment. That moment's hesitation gave the ogre enough of an open window of opportunity to clasp the front of Link's tunic, hauling him up to its eye level so that his feet dangled six inches above the floor as it raised its other fist high above its head. Link's vision was blurring from dizziness…all he could see were those dark, menacing red eyes…

"Humph...that's enough."

Just like that, it was over. The ogre dropped Link so that he lie on his stomach idly on the ice floor and stood stiffly beside the entrance. Link lifted his face from the icy floor to look at the one who spoke in human tongue. No ogre was capable of speaking their language, or at least, not to anyone's knowledge. Though his eyesight was obscured by his crystallized breath and hazy from the pain his body was enduring, he still managed to make out the silhouette of what appeared to be a cloaked figure, of what gender or race, the hero couldn't exactly be for sure, though it only stood on two legs, and seemed to move toward him with unearthly grace, towering over his battered body with such an authority about its attitude that one might mistake its demeanor as either snobbish or royal. A thick black hood prevented Link from seeing this person's face, as it was cast into a heavy shadow of obscurity and mystery. Link could only assume from the voice that this person gave off that it was a female and wondered who in the hell this was.

"Rise onto your feet, hero." The coldness in the figure's voice seemed to make the ice feel suddenly warm and comforting in comparison to the said hero of time, but he only vaguely made that thought come to his mind as he struggled to comply with its request. He lifted his torso from the ground and applied his weight to his knees before slowly rising, so as not to agitate the wounds he had received any further than they already had been. "Link…hero of time…slayer of Ganondorf, wielder of the sword of evil's bane, and savior of Hyrule…has finally been captured." The hilt of the figure's hidden sword suddenly shot out from the part in its black cloak, jabbing Link in his stomach so hard that he swore the skin protecting his stomach was punctured as he sank to his knees, clutching his stomach as he did so. Upon looking at the crimson stain about the size of his thumb that began to form, his suspicions were once again confirmed. "Tell me, O hero of time, since you have done such services for the inhabitants of Hyrule, surely you of all people, would know where the King and his heir to the throne would hide in such a large building as that of Hyrule Castle during an attack on its people, would you not?" The cloaked woman interrogated to the kneeling teenager, who glared up into the figure's hood at where he could only guess that its eyes were.

He knew too well where this was going. This figure…this silhouette, obviously wanted the throne as well as Hyrule for itself, and the only people directly in its way were the King and…and…Zelda…if this creature was to find out the whereabouts of Zelda and the King…no. He wouldn't dare think such thoughts, especially when it came dangerously close to becoming reality yesterday…no! He wouldn't let that happen! He wouldn't be the one to betray his own people, his own kingdom, and-!

"_You fought valiantly and tried your hardest, Link, and nothing you can say will convince anyone otherwise. You are my best friend, and you always will be."_

And he would not be the one to betray Zelda.

"You will not benefit from asking me. I refuse to aid you. Your cause is not pure, that much I can see clearly, and so not a word of treason shall pass my lips. I absolutely refuse to betray that of which I have grown to love." _'I will not betray you, my Zelda.'_ The shadowed figure's shoulders tensed in frustration, and Link couldn't help but feel that he had at least won some small battle with his response. For the longest time, the hooded figure and Link were locked in a glaring contest, neither one moving, both egging the other to say something first. The only clear sign that they were both animate objects was the small puffs of white fog that escaped their mouths. Finally, the figure let out a heavy sigh, letting its shoulders return to their poised position.

"Then you leave me no choice." With a swish of its cloak, the figure turned on its heel and walked toward the exit, entering the hall before turning back to motion with an upward sweep of its hand for the ogre to join her. The monster did as it had silently been asked to, shutting the barred door behind it as it left to join the cloaked being. Just as Link was about to settle into a corner in hopes of keeping somewhat warm, the figure's voice called through the bars, "When you decide to tell me where the King and his heir can be found during an attack on the castle, feel free to inform me of such knowledge. In exchange, you will be set free."

"If you plan on taking over the kingdom, than I won't be much better off, and neither will the people of Hyrule!" Link shouted back fiercely to the fading footsteps in the hallway. When silence once again reigned in the chamber, Link cringed as he inspected his stomach wound. Thankfully, the wound stopped bleeding, and the blood stain did not look nearly as menacingly dark as it had before. In fact, it was nearly nonexistent all together. His ribs, however, were throbbing with pain. His cringe darkened as he clutched his side, wondering just how much more of this he would have to take before either the cloaked figure killed him or someone found him. He knew that the chances of the latter of the two choices happening was slim to none, but right now all he could do was hope for a miracle.

It would be rather ironic, he thought, if he were to die a prisoner to an enemy that he hadn't even met face to face. The stories of his heroic deeds- the slaying of Ganondorf, the many times he had saved Hyrule from other, countless perils, would be told throughout the ages of time, even long after he was gone, but the tale of his death would be like a charismatic foil to his life; he died at the hands of an enemy he didn't even know he had. That is, of course, assuming that someone would know how he died. Some might claim him to simply disappear, and was never to be seen again.

Ugh, he really needed to stop thinking so negatively. There was hope, there was always hope. Zelda must at least know that something has happened to him. She was that last one to get in touch with him, and he was cut off in mid sentence during their telepathic conversation, so she had to at least suspect that there was something wrong. Zelda wouldn't just ignore something like that, no matter what her status was, she wouldn't just move on from something like that…

She'd look for him…right…?

She cares about him…doesn't she…?

She'll come…she has to…she'll find him…won't she…?

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Phew! There's that chapter done! Stick around for the next one, k? Click that little purplish-blue button below to send me a review pretty please! Chibi Link, do the puppy dog face!

Chibi Link: -comes out of nowhere from Wind Waker, with the most adorable little pouting face that you'd ever seen, looking absolutely cute- please review!


	4. Only Hope

I'm back, people! And with what looks like it will be an almost entire week off due to weather conditions, I'll be typing…a lot. That's not saying that anymore chapters will be posted on any of my stories this week, but I'll definitely be making progress.

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Link shivered, parting his thick, frost tipped eyelashes to allow his azure eyes to scan his icy prison for the umpteenth time. How long had he been here? How many times had he watched the glittering sunlight shine and fade through the gap in the ceiling? He had lost count, but if he really needed to guess, he would have said about three days, and two nights. That was an accurate summation, but he remained unaware of that fact until a little later on. His mind was almost as foggy as the breath that left his lightly parted lips, his eyes reflecting the blankness of his thoughts as they stared almost unseeing ahead of him.

He suddenly cringed, his right arm clutching his broken rib as it gave off a throb of pain. His left arm, which, he guessed, was also broken from the blow it was dealt by that huge ogre, hung limply at his side as he sat against the wall, trying desperately to keep warm, but to no avail. His injuries had only worsened from the cold, and he was certain that he was far from recovering quickly if he didn't either get rescued or find a way out of here himself. Though a small part of him constantly told him that no one was coming for him, that he needed to rely on himself, he still clutched desperately onto the hope that someone was looking for him. He wasn't exactly in the highest of spirits, nor in the best condition health-wise. A thin, almost transparent layer of frost covered his blonde locks, freezing them in place. He drummed his fingers against his knee, trying to regain at least some feeling in them, and mentally cursing for the umpteenth time that his gauntlet gloves didn't have any fingers. His skin was deathly pale, almost blue, as he tried blowing on his hands to warm them up at least a little.

His spirits were at an all-time low. The cloaked figure had visited him quite often, each time asking him if he was going to give her the information that she needed, and each time walked away without gaining any knowledge from the hero of time. But just before she left, the figure would emphasize to Link that no one was coming for him, that no one even knew that he was missing. But she was wrong, Link would always tell himself. Zelda still knew. Zelda was the only one who knew, as far as Link was aware, that he was missing.

Zelda…

If his lips weren't so blue and he wasn't so tired, he would say her name just to hear it with his own voice. Her name tasted incredibly sweet on his tongue, and it was the only thing that could come close to keeping him warm. He had waited to hear from her again, through their telepathic connection, but he was at first disheartened that he received no word from the princess of destiny. He even went so far as to try to find her himself, but he had later noticed a seal that had been put on the walls of his cell. The incantations were worn, but what little he could read confirmed that it was a silencing seal, preventing any magic from being used in this cell. It explained the silence that had hung over the two friends at such a time as this.

His injured ribs gave off another painful throb against his chest. He sighed inwardly when he heard the same echoing footsteps, laden with authority, from outside his cell. He was rather surprised at first when the footsteps passed him and continued down the hall outside without so much as a pause in front of his cell door, but dismissed it as one of the shadowed figure's guards.

Though he shouldn't refer to his warden as a shadowed figure anymore, now that he knew her name, having seen it engraved into the blade of her sword. He had not seen it the first time that she had used it on him when she butted him in the gut with its hilt, but when she was inspecting it during one of her visits, he got a closer look at the engraved title on the blade. At first, he had thought the engraving to be the name given to the blade, not its wielder, and did not say anything. It wasn't until she noticed him staring at the name that she confirmed that it was her own. "Not that it will matter much to you soon, though," She had scoffed at his wounded form as she continued to inspect her sword fondly, "it's not as if my name will do much for a corpse."

He had grown to hate that name, so much that he didn't even want to remember the word that was engraved into the steel of the sword. With what little logical functionality that Link was still capable of, he mentally cursed the name Anzipora, the name he saw on her blade, the name that belonged to the woman wielding it. But he soon felt his anger dwindle away to the comforting thoughts he had of Zelda; the little comfort that he could still cling to in this icy jail. Her radiance, he felt confident, was capable of melting the very ice that surrounded him. Her kindness was enough to keep his heart warm through the cold sleep that overcame him each empty night. She was enough to sustain him, if only for a little while. The hope that she would come was what kept him going, kept him alive through his pain, both physical and mental.

She was enough. She was more than enough.

---

Zelda's brow furrowed as she examined the mountain before her. Were the inhabitants of the forest confident that this was where Link was taken? She had managed to convince Impa to cover her disappearance for a little while as she tracked Link down, so she went to the Kokiri Forest, as a starter for a place to look. The villagers all claimed that they saw Link run past the village in a hurry a few nights before, but no one indirectly connected with the hero was able to give her much more information than the direction that he ran. Thankfully, no one suspected her to be the princess of Hyrule, let alone anyone of importance, so suspicions and questions were not aroused.

Fortunately, Saria (who was really the only one who could tell that it was Zelda) said that she saw a group of ogres attack Link. She admitted that she had grown frightened, and covered her eyes when she saw one of them raise its club against him. When she didn't hear anything after a few moments, she opened her eyes again just in time to see Link being dragged away by one of the ogre she had seen moments before.

"If you saw all of this, then why didn't you get someone for help?" Zelda asked as politely as she could when she was in such a hurry to find the hero of time. Saria's emerald green eyes grew dark with sadness as she recalled the events leading to Link's disappearance. Her head tilted downward in defeat before a heavy sigh escaped her lips.

"I tried, Zelda. Really, I did. But no one believed me that the hero of time was beaten up and kidnapped by a group of renegade ogres from the mountain tribe. They all said that I was just being the overprotective sister figure that I always was to Link." After Saria pointed the way toward the mountain ogre tribe's establishment, Zelda thanked her friend and continued toward the mountain until she had managed to reach its foot, where she now stood.

She could clearly see the entrance of the mountain's interior- about five yards away from where she was standing, an icy staircase of about twelve steps led to a dark inner chamber of the mountain, where she could only hope to find Link. So, after taking a deep breath to steady herself, she slowly entered the dungeon, her sword hilt gripped tightly in her right hand as her cloaked shadow blended with the darkness of the chamber, giving her an almost ghostly sense of fading into obscurity through the snow.

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Sincerest apologies for not updating sooner, and I hope that everyone enjoys the new chappie. Click the cute little button below to submit a review, okay?


	5. Anzipora's Finale

Another chappie! Yay for weekends with no homework! Well, here it is! Oh, and for a note to everyone who reads this: major fluff early on, and later in this chapter, and a pretty sweet fight scene in the middle. My kind of story! Enjoy, everyone!

(warning: this is a REALLY long chapter)

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Night was fast approaching, much to Link's dismay. He could practically feel his heart sink with the setting sun as the hero watched the light retreat from the gap in the ceiling above him. His darkened, pain filled azure eyes slipped shut as he leaned his head back against the icy wall, numb to the cold that it gave off. He knew that it was dangerous to fall asleep in this cold, but rest sounded more comforting than any dire warning against falling asleep eternally in a harsh winter cold. Fortunately for whoever originally came up with the theory of dying in your sleep while exposed to extreme weather conditions, sleep would not take Link. In fact, sleep had turned away to leave the hero to merely close his eyes and fall into the emptiness of thought.

It might have been hours or only minutes later when Link opened his eyes again. Time seemed to lose all significance to him in this entrapment of ice that surrounded him. All he knew was that night had befallen Hyrule, and his prison had been pulled into the foreboding embrace of darkness. Thankfully, his eyes had long since adjusted to the dark from his rest, though really, what was there to look at other than ice?

He gave off a shaky sigh. He wasn't going to last much longer at this point. No, he didn't feel like he was dying, but he was only human, and in these conditions, humans never really lasted very long. But he had to keep trying. He had to hold out for as long as he could. He couldn't lose faith…not now and not ever.

---

She still didn't know how she did it.

You'd think that moving through a cave whose walls made so much as a whisper echo for yards ahead of you would be a dead giveaway for any patrolling guards. But you'd be wrong, as Zelda had proven unintentionally. She was practically in the same hallway as about four ogres, and yet, none of them could hear her walking toward Link's aura. She thanked the gods that her Triforce of Wisdom was able to detect his Triforce of Courage, otherwise she'd never find him in this enormous dungeon. Subconsciously, she lifted her right hand to look at the resonating glow of her Triforce symbol as it pulsed. She focused on its energy, taping into its strength to seek out Link's Triforce of Courage. Her hand was tugged to her right as her Triforce symbol pulsed even stronger than it had before. She breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't even know she had been holding in. She was getting closer.

She let her Triforce insignia guide her through a dark and narrow tunnel that seemed to wind every which way. She squinted against the darkness, trying desperately to let her soft blue eyes adjust to the darkness that had befallen the dungeon path. After what seemed like hours of feeling her way blindly though the tunnel, she saw its end. Breathing a sigh of relief, she nearly rushed to the light, when she –luckily- remembered that no one was aware of her being here…yet. She popped her hooded head out from the opening that she had reached, looking both ways before continuing onward where her Triforce guided her.

How long the actual venture after that took to get to what looked like a cell block entrance, Zelda wasn't entirely sure, but her Triforce gave off another powerful surge that nearly shook her whole arm. With admirable control, she forced her arm down as she drew her blade with her left hand at the sight of a particularly strong looking armored ogre who had –not surprisingly- dozed off while on duty. The princess of destiny breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that this may very well be a silent kill.

And, of course, it was.

Cleaning her bloodied blade on the snowy ground, she sheathed it and continued onward. The dim light seemed to only grow dimmer, so Zelda was once again forced to rely on the light that emitted from her right hand to guide her not only to Link, but to see ahead of her. She passed many, empty cells of pure ice, each looking as though they hadn't been used in years. She only vaguely realized that the floor was made of ice as well when her foot slid a bit when she stepped once, but thought no more of it as she continued to press further ahead.

---

He didn't know why the Triforce of Courage started pulsing, but he had no control over it.

Granted, Link had never been taught how to hone in on the Triforce of Courage's abilities, or how to tap into its strength, but it had never resonated with such a light before. In fact, the only time that he could really think of that it ever even so much as glimmered was when he had fought Ganondorf. He closed his eyes, trying to find the center of this sudden surge of power, unable to grasp its meaning. He was so transfixed by the power pulsing in his own hand that he failed to see the light that spilled in through the bars on the door to his cell. He jumped slightly (which only agitated his rib injury even more) from his spot on the floor when another aura, one that he hadn't sensed before, made its presence known. Though he heard the door suddenly being forced open by something or someone, he didn't open his eyes; for some reason, his eyelids suddenly felt unbelievably heavy, too heavy to lift to look at who was now inside his cell. Link knew that it wasn't Anzipora; unlike her aura, which was always so cold and foreboding, this aura seemed…strangely familiar, with something underlying it…fear…?

And then the Triforce of Courage pulsed again, this time with more power than before.

Then…

"Oh goddesses…Link-!"

'_That voice…it can't be…'_

Zelda hurried over to Link and knelt beside to him, horrified that he looked so pale, and seemed so unresponsive to her call. She quickly shed her cloak and placed it upon his shoulders before she pulled it tighter around him, trying to keep him at least a little warmer. Her dress was just enough to cover her, and he needed the cloak more than she did. "Link-!" She whispered as she gently laid a soft hand on his cheek. She almost sobbed in relief when his eyebrow twitched slightly from the contact and he gave a small moan subconsciously.

'_This hand…it's so warm…comforting…so…familiar…'_

He didn't want to get his hopes up, but he needed to know if this was really her. If he didn't find out, he was sure he'd go insane. He needed some confirmation that he was still awake and that this wasn't some blissful dream that would carry him into death. He forced his heavy eyelids open, small slits of deep ocean azure eyes glittering in the pale darkness. He blinked, not daring to open his eyes any further, and not entirely sure that he was able to anyway. When his vision focused, he could deny it no longer. She really had come. He breathed a shaky sigh of relief at that, closing his eyes again, much lighter this time.

"Zelda…" His voice was tender and raspy from misuse, but the way her name sounded on his tongue, finally able to release it from his lips, made his skin crawl pleasantly. Zelda could restrain herself no longer, as she used the hand that wasn't on Link's cheek to hold his head to the crook of her neck, his cold temple resting against the side of her jaw comfortably. His body felt so unbelievably cold to her…how long had he been like this? A single tear slipped from her –now closed- eyes and fell to rest in Link's frost-laden hair.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry that this happened to you…I'm so sorry…" She whispered to her childhood friend, holding his head a little closer as her fingers deftly stroked his frozen hair. He laughed bitterly despite himself.

"It could have been worse, Zel. Thanks for coming for me…" He mumbled against the fabric on the shoulder of her dress, opening his eyes fully this time. "But let's get out of here, okay? Goddesses know that I've had enough of this place." Zelda nodded against his hair before helping him stand. Her thin blonde brows knit together in a worried frown when Link nearly fell against her, placing his right hand firmly on her shoulder to attempt to steady himself.

"What's wrong? Were you hurt?" She whispered. He nodded dully in response, taking his weight off of her shoulder as he stood carefully.

"I think my rib and my arm are broken. Both on my left side." He cringed as his arm reminded him of its injury that he almost forgot. Zelda's worried frown only darkened at the thought of him being in so much pain. Seeing her worry, he placed a hand lightly on her shoulder (not the one attached to his broken arm). "Zelda, it'll be fine. I've had worse injuries and you know that. Let's deal with that damn Anzipora and get out of here." Zelda's blank stare was enough to keep Link where he was.

"Anzipora…?"

"Yeah, the woman that's behind the attack on the castle, and my kidnapping. You've…never heard of her…?" Zelda only shook her head, her blank face still remained unchanged from the first mention of Anzipora. Link knew that he shouldn't be surprised, after all, several random people that the inhabitants of Hyrule had never heard of were always trying to get a spot on the throne, so why was he so surprised this time around?

Probably because none of them were this smart to take him out of the picture before going for an attack on the castle.

"Where is she hiding? Do you know?" Zelda asked him.

Come to think of it…he _didn't_ know where she was.

That certainly put a damper on things, didn't it?

"Err…no, but I'm sure that she's close; she'd try to get me to tell her things by coming here and bringing that ogre guard with her…"

"Was he really, really, _really_ tall and heavy looking?" He nodded. "…I think I killed that one…it was asleep at the start of the hallway leading-" A loud, shrill cry of anger suddenly echoed off of the walls. "…here."

"Yeah…that sounded like her." Link tensed what muscles that weren't attached to damaged limbs and stepped in front of Zelda, determined to protect her even without the Master Sword. After all, he had the clawshot, wasn't that enough to at least help out in some way?

Then again, Anzipora did sound pretty pissed.

Link rushed out into the hallway, Zelda close in tow with her sword drawn. No sooner than they had hurried out and turned to exit the hallway did they see Anzipora with her sword drawn, charging at the two friends with a speed that seemed inhuman. Link swore that, just as he pulled Zelda and himself out of her path, he felt the air ruffle his bangs out of their frozen state. As soon as the cloaked woman passed them, they hurried out of the hallway after her to broaden their battlefield. Anzipora, oddly enough, had waited for them in the circular opening Zelda had killed the ogre guard in, her form seeming to float above Link and Zelda with a sort of unearthly presence about her.

"Princess Zelda…you've shown yourself…and with no royal guard for protection." Zelda growled under her breath, her fist clenching the hilt of her sword all the tighter. Who was this cloaked person, and being out of the range of what was considered Hyrule, what did she want with the royal throne?

"I need no guard for protection. You underestimate me because of my royalty. And even if I wasn't a formidable opponent, I trust Link with my life." She called to the floating woman bravely. A swelling of pride erupted in Link's chest at her words; for her to say that she trusted him even when he was weaponless was a compliment that he would cherish forever in his heart, no matter what happened after this.

"Show yourself, Anzipora! I want to see my captor face to face before I finish her off!" Link roared to his opponent, drawing his clawshot from his tunic as he tensed up for the fight that was to come. The shadowy woman laughed almost mechanically at his enraged demands.

"You want to see my face, do you Link?" Two small red glaring orbs suddenly cut through the darkness of Anzipora's hood, which Link and Zelda accurately assumed were her eyes. A blackened hand rose out from her cloak and grasped her hood firmly before pulling it back to reveal her true appearance. Her long silver-grey hair seemed to flow in a nonexistent wind, lifting from underneath her hood to welcome the cold air around her as her crimson irises continued to glare at her opponents. Her pale white skin almost managed to blend with her hair color, giving her all the more of a ghostly appearance. Link and Zelda would be lying if they said that they weren't at least somewhat afraid, but when you fight enemies like Ganondorf, you've seen them all. Zelda held her sword out determinedly in front of her, tilting the blade at an upward angle to fully get herself into her combat stance (a/n: I don't know if Zelda ever had a combat stance, so please bear with me) in anticipation for the battle.

Anzipora wasted no time in diving toward her enemies, her silver bladed sword glinting dangerously against the shadowed area of the battle. At the last possible second, Link and Zelda jumped to opposite sides of the sword's path, narrowly missing the blade's tip. Thankfully, Link was a fairly ambidextrous shot, so with his uninjured right hand, he aimed the clawshot at the hilt of Anzipora's sword, hoping to at least stall the woman so that Zelda could get in a few blows. He felt the three talons on the end of that clawshot lodge themselves firmly into her wrist, causing her to drop her sword out of shock, which was even better than getting a hold of her blade's hilt, now that her sword hand was now rendered useless. She clutched her wrist in an effort to stop the flow of blood that oozed from her injured wrist once she pried the three talons of the clawshot out of it as her sword lay idle on the ground before her. The enraged and injured woman hissed in pain; apparently, Link's shot was good enough to sear right through the veins in her wrist.

Zelda wasted no time in dashing forward to get in what attacks she could. Her sword did quick work of Anzipora's wrist, cleanly slicing the attached hand off with the sickening tear of flesh. Clearly, Anzipora was in no shape to wield a sword comfortably again. Another swipe of Zelda's sword in the other direction left her opponent with a deep gash in what Zelda could only assume was her stomach (Anzipora's cloak still covered her body, so it was just guess-and-stab methods used here) The black cloth tore with surprising ease against the tip of Zelda's blade, leaving a wide slit in the cloak. With another hiss of pain, Anzipora leapt back and clutched at the rip in her cloak. At first, it was unclear whether or not the blow dealt any damage, but Zelda couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she noticed jagged streaks of blood oozing from in between the fingers of the hand that was clutching at the wound.

To Zelda's surprise, she was completely ignored by Anzipora in exchange for going after Link, leaping in his direction after only an instant's pause. Then again, Link was in far worse shape that her with his wounds. Despite his injuries, he was still difficult to keep up with, as he was proving to Anzipora. Her sword cut nothing but the cold air that surrounded the battle as Link swiftly ducked and dodged her onslaught of attacks. He even managed to cut off one of her sword swipes with his gauntlet, giving Zelda yet another opportunity to deal a firm strike to her abdomen with her blade. Though Link and Zelda were capable fighters, the fight was ever more to their advantage once Anzipora's sword hand was sliced off; her attacks were awkward and almost unsure as they struck clumsily at her opponents. Link managed a solid blow to her cheek with the clawshot in a punch when she finally managed to get close to the hero, reeling her back in shock. As she recoiled, Zelda got behind her and raised her sword high above her, tilting the blade down at an angle toward where she hoped was her heart.

This was it. If Zelda managed to stab through Anzipora in one of the many fatal spots one's body, then it would be all over. This was not just for Hyrule anymore; this was for Link, for what this witch had done to him. She was finally able to do something other than get kidnapped and wait for Link to rescue her- now she could actually do something to end the battle, other than shoot a light arrow that would –possibly- stun Ganondorf, or get trapped in a crystal…or stone…or a cage…or a basement…

…what HASN'T she been trapped in…?

"For Hyrule." _'And for you, Link.' _Zelda whispered to herself as she drove her sword into Anzipora's back and watching as the woman's body fell in a shadowed heap. Link watched from across from her, awed at Zelda's skills with the blade she wielded. He had never really pegged her as the type to pick up a weapon and fight. Then again, he really didn't see everything that she did.

It was over.

Zelda breathed a sigh of relief once again, though much more genuinely now that the fight had come to an end. She sheathed her blade and made her way over to Link, smiling warmly at him, glad that he could finally leave with her. Link smiled back, his deep blue eyes softening from there adamant glare that they seemed to take on in battle. He put away his clawshot before returning his gaze to Zelda's soft blue eyes, almost forgetting that his side and arm were screaming in pain. The princess of destiny frowned slightly as his smile faded into a look of pure fear as he looked past her shoulder.

Turning around, she saw why.

Anzipora, bloodied and dying, was leaping at Zelda with what was left of her life, desperate to take Zelda with her into the cold embrace of death. Link's eyes widened in horror. No, no this wasn't going to happen! He wouldn't _let_ it happen! The memory of that ogre's blade sticking out of her side, her eyes blank, staring at him unseeing, drove his fears to heights that he never knew were imaginable. He caught Zelda's shoulder with his hand, pulling himself in front of her, turning his back to Anzipora as he pulled Zelda into a protective embrace, pressing her face to his chest. He wasn't going to let her get hurt, not again. Anzipora's blade slashed his back deeply, the gash running from his left hip to his right shoulder. He gasped in pain, his eye clouding over in obscurity. Zelda gasped in shock as his arms went rigid around her for an instant before loosing as he began to slip into unconsciousness. Zelda had never felt more hatred toward anyone other than Ganondorf in that instant. Her Triforce of Wisdom pounded inside her palm, the glow blinding her even when the source of its light was blocked by Link's shoulder. She raised her hand, and let her anger be turned into power and shot out of her hand in a blazing light that dissolved what was left of Anzipora into nothing but a pool of blood in the snow. Link, though his vision blurring from the blood loss, still gazed in hazy awe at the sight before him.

"Link-!" Link gave a small grunt as his knees buckled under his weight. The blood that steadily oozing from the wound in his back was oddly…warm. It quickly blossomed on the back of his tunic as Zelda wrapped her arms around him to help him lower to the ground slowly. She sank to her knees as Link's head lolled against her shoulder. "Link, say something…please-!" She whispered as she clung to him, not caring that his blood was staining her hands. He was still breathing…her heart sang with relief. He was just unconscious, but alive. She silently thanked the goddesses for watching over him these past several days. With some difficulty, she managed to coax the dazed hero to stand with her, albeit leaning on her in the process, as she looped one of his muscular arms around her shoulders to better guide him out of the caverns.

The trip out of the ice mountain's dungeon took a little longer than the trip in, with Link's dazed form having to be guided through the pathways to the exit, but Zelda still managed to get him out safely. Once they were back on the border of the forest, Zelda stopped in though for a moment. There was no way that she was going to be able to take Link back to Hyrule Castle like this; she was fairly strong for a girl of only eighteen, but she knew that taking Link that far in his condition like that would only make his wounds worse. Hold on…she could summon Epona! But…she didn't know how to play the song on her Ocarina that Link made up to call upon his faithful friend, and though he was still somewhat conscious, it wasn't like she could ask him to play it. She closed her eyes, remembering when he would play it to bring the said horse to him. She knew the notes…the way that they sounded…what would it hurt to try? She knew Link still had her Ocarina, seeing as how he always had it out on days when he wasn't working out by his house or busy with other things. She gently let him sit against a tree near them as she searched the small pouches along his belt for the little flute-like instrument, finally managing to produce it from his innermost pouch. She brought the mouthpiece to her lips, letting her memories of him playing the song haunt her fingertips, possessing them to move the way that Link's would.

She ended the song as she heard a faint neigh of a horse. She had actually managed to summon Epona…Link would be slightly disappointed to know that he was no longer the only one who knew that song, but at least now he could get his wounds treated properly. Epona was upon them before Zelda could comprehend that she was actually there. She smiled sadly at the horse as it whinnied at the sight of Link unconscious and bloody. Zelda knelt beside him again, bringing his warm arm around her shoulders and hauling him gently up again. Wrapping her other arm around his waist in reassurance, Zelda carefully guided him to Epona.

"Link, I may be tougher than I look, but you'll need to try and get yourself up on Epona with my help; I can't lift you on my own." Zelda whispered gently to the hazy eyes hero on the brink of unconsciousness, who seemed to nod his head, although it could have just been bobbing with her movements. Somehow, they managed to get him on the saddle in front of her, leaning back so that the cloak Zelda had put on him (which, thankfully, wasn't soaked in blood yet) brushing against her chest as she leaned forward to take the reigns in her hands. "Hang on, Link. We'll be back in a little while." She softly reassured her –now unconscious- friend as Epona galloped toward the setting sun, toward Hyrule Castle, and toward home.

It wasn't until night had settled in that Zelda guided Epona through the field around Hyrule Castle. Thankfully, she had memorized the pattern of the night patrol, so she and Link managed to not get caught once she left Epona in the stable. Not entirely surprisingly, Impa greeted her at the small back door of the castle.

"Child, what has happened to Link?" She peered at Link's wounds, which had, of course, gotten slightly worse from the horseback ride, but thankfully could now be treated. Zelda looked at her with desperation showing in her eyes.

"Please, help me treat his wounds." The aged woman nodded solemnly before stepping aside to allow the princess to guide Link inside. Impa motioned for Zelda to follow her to an empty guest bedroom down the hall to better treat the hero's wounds. Zelda did as Impa requested, carefully sitting Link on the edge of the bed.

"Zelda, you must please get to bed. If anyone catches you awake at this hour, you know that the King will scold you." Impa gently chided the princess as she began to remove Link's bloodstained tunic to inspect his injury. Zelda gasped in defiance.

"My best friend is unconscious, bleeding, and injured, and you expect me to go to sleep as if nothing happened?" She demanded quietly, so as not to alert anyone else of her presence. Impa sighed softly.

"Zelda, dear, you know that knights come and go down this hallway frequently, and none of them will hesitate to report to the King that you were up and about after hours around here. At least go to your bed chamber and await my call for you in the morning, if you refuse sleep. You may come back at dawn's first light, when it seems less…improper, alright?" Zelda would have fought to stay by Link's side, as he had done for her so many times, but she knew better. Impa was right, that this hall was commonplace for knights and whatnot to wander, and they would turn her to her father like they did when she was a child if they caught her up at this hour. So, with a defeated sigh, she agreed, but not before turning to Link, who was still unconscious.

"I'll be back, I promise." She whispered before pressing a gentle kiss to his temple. As much as she loved him, and wanted to be near him, Impa still ushered her out of the room and shut the door behind her. With nothing else to do, unless being caught seemed appealing (which, it didn't), Zelda walked back to her room in ghostly silence.

Her door shut behind her without a creak, as she walked over to her bed and sat on it, folding her pale, shaking hands in her lap as she stared at them with pained eyes. She tried to hold in her tears, but they seemed unstoppable, as they silently streaked down her smooth face as the image of Link protecting her, getting hurt to save her, embracing her out pf protection and friendship unyieldingly, burned in her mind.

Morning, as she soon realized, would not come quick enough.

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I told you it was a long chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it, nonetheless. Click the cute little button below to review, please!


	6. I'm here now

Okay, we're moving right along! Here's the next chappie! (Side note: if you don't like some major Link/Zelda fluff, 'tis recommended that you read elsewhere.

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It was no use.

No matter how tired she was, or how weary her body felt from its earlier strain of endurance, Zelda's eyes refused to close for anything but blinking. The image of Link's unconscious form, blood staining his tunic, knowing that it was because he protected her, made her whole body shudder and writhe in pain, as if she felt what he did. She knew that his pain was his own, and that she couldn't feel what he was going through, but she still felt as though every one of his injuries was her own as well. _'So,'_ the princess thought sadly as she wrung her hands together in her lap. _'This is what Link felt like when I got hurt…' _If his emotional pain earlier was anywhere near this degree, she didn't blame him for wanting to try and forget their friendship in light of protection, but she knew that she couldn't bear to be too far away from him; her heart would have none of that.

Her thoughts were interrupted at the subtle knock on her bedroom door. She stood from her spot on the edge of her bed and walked over to the wooden door and opened it. The knight that had knocked removed his helmet and held it to his armored chest as he bowed grandly at her.

"A thousand apologies if I awoke you, my lady." He said as he straightened back up, tucking his helmet under his arm securely. His deep voice, though used in a soft manner, seemed to boom across the silent hallways. Zelda smiled warmly at the knight before bowing her head in greeting for a moment before lifting it once again.

"No need for apology, good sir. Is there something wrong?" She replied in the same manner she was spoken to. The knight shook his head slightly.

"No, my lady, but Impa has requested your presence in the knight's corridor. She said you would know what room to go to." Zelda nodded before smiling at the knight once more.

"Thank you, sir. I'll leave for the corridor at once." The knight bowed his head before putting his helmet back on and continuing down the hallway to resume his patrol. Zelda slipped out of her bedroom and walked the opposite direction as the knight, retracing her footsteps to the room in the knight's quarters.

---

"Ah, Zelda dear, there you are." Impa greeted the princess warmly in the hallway just outside the room Link was in. Zelda tried to smile, but found it rather difficult when she knew Link was so close, yet not knowing his condition. As if to read the princess's thoughts, Impa patted the young woman on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't fret child; none of his wounds were infected, but the cut on his back does concern me a bit…" Zelda's thin light blonde brows knit together in a worried frown. "It seems that, while you were riding Epona here, the wound on his back opened a bit more, so there was quite a bit of blood loss…I cleaned it up and bandaged it best I could, but it seems as though the injury is intent on making Link suffer."

"Has he woken up yet?" The older woman shook her head sadly.

"But he seems to be having feverish dreams, nightmares, even. Nothing I say does any good for the poor lad." Zelda seemed quiet for a moment before she lifted her head, though she wasn't entirely sure of when it had bowed.

"Impa…may I…?" The older woman nodded, stepping out of the room with the excuse of 'needing to get more water to help clean the wounds,' although there was a full pale of it beside the bed. _'The old woman seems intent on making me and-oh goddesses-!'_ All logical train of thought was broken at the sight of Link lying on the bed. Beads of sweat trickled down his entire body, as though he just came out of the stream and didn't bother to dry himself. His tunic lay soaking in a pale of soapy water, most likely to wash the blood off before it set into the fabric. His well toned chest and abdomen were covered almost completely with bandaged, tinged in crimson from the blood that soaked through. The bandages went from his waist to his ribcage, then wrapped around his left shoulder to keep them in place. Zelda found herself trying to stop ogling her friend's body and focusing on his injuries. Thankfully, he still had his off white pants on, so there was nothing down there to distract her. Her eyes swept across the bandages, inspecting the splotches of blood that had managed to seep through the layers of white cloth.

Her heart wrenched as she looked up at his face, seeing his usually light and cheerful face cringing in pain, his thick dark blonde brows knitting in what she was sure was agonizing pain. His chest heaved up and down in ragged breaths as he moaned and mumbled incoherently in his feverish sleep. His dark blonde hair seemed even darker with the sweat that had collected in his short and wild locks.

"Link…" She began to gently stroke his sweat covered cheek with the back of her hand. It might have been her imagination, but she could have sworn that he leaned into her touch, as if welcoming, needing, her touch. She knelt beside the bed as she continued her ministrations to his cheek, resting her head on her other arm bent on the bedside. "…You must be in so much pain." She scooted her head closer to his.

"It's not the first time I've been hurt like this, Zel." She almost jumped at the sound of his raspy and tender voice beside her. She looked back at his face, only to be met with the same pair of ocean blue orbs that always sent her knees buckling. She smiled gently at him before retracting her hand from his face and tucking it under her head like her other arm was. Link inwardly mourned for the loss of her touch.

"How are you?" She asked softly as her smile seemed to take on a tinge of sadness. Link tried returning the smile, but it was quickly replaced with a cringe as his arm sent a wave of pain crawling up his arm. "What happened?" She asked quickly.

"My arm…is it swollen?" He asked, his eyes meeting hers once again. After a quick inspection, comparing his injured and bandaged left one to his right one, his left arm had swollen considerably. She confirmed this with him, suggesting that it was broken. "I thought so; I can hardly move it without it hurting." Zelda's worried frown made him quickly regret saying that. "Don't worry about it, as long as I can manage to get a sling…" She nodded in understanding.

"Hang on; I'll see what I can do." She stood and rummaged around the many cleaning and first aid items Impa had brought with her before she left, until the princess finally came across a wide cloth that seemed almost perfect for a sling. Holding the fabric close to her chest, she made her way back to Link's side. "Here, I found one, but you'll have to sit up so I can put it on you properly." Link nodded before slowly sitting up, mindful of his back injury, as Zelda helped him with a gentle arm around his shoulders. "Good, now let me see your arm." She intertwined her fingers with his as her other hand gently lifted his injured arm just above the broken spot, cringing as Link hissed in pain. "Easy, easy…" She cooed to him as she reached for his left gauntlet glove. "This will help the broken bone grow back straight, not to mention the pressure will undoubtedly help with the pain. With Link's uninjured hand guiding her fingers, Zelda managed to get the gauntlet on his arm with minimal pain dealt to the hero of time. Once the gauntlet was adjusted to fit around the bandages, Zelda began to set his arm within the folds of the cloth before bringing the opposite corners of the cloth around his arm and tied them together at his right shoulder to hold the sling in place. He shifted his shoulder a bit for better comfort to the injured limb, before he turned to her to smile his gratitude.

"Thanks, Zel. It feels a lot better now." She was about to object, but one look in his azure eyes told her that he spoke the truth, so she returned his smile before placing a hand on his broad shoulder.

"Lay back down; you need to rest up so that your wounds won't get any worse. I'll go out to Castle Town and get a blue potion from the marketplace once Impa comes back." He opened his mouth to object, but the only thing that passed his lips was a hardly audible yawn.

"Mmm…I guess I don't have much choice, do I?" He mumbled as his eyelids drooped half way over his eyes. Zelda giggled and shook her head in reply. Link chuckled under his breath tiredly before easing himself back onto the bed. "You'll stay at least until Impa comes back…right…?" Her eyes softened at the desperation in his eyes, as if he didn't want her to leave for the world. She nodded her head, kneeling back beside the bed and resting her head next to his on the pillow. She could practically feel his tense muscles soften at her willingness to stay before she felt him nudge his head closer to hers so that their noses were touching.

They both allowed themselves a small smile as they drifted to sleep, unaware of the old woman standing at the doorway with a bottle of blue potion in her hands and a warm smile on her face. Without a word to disturb the two teens, Impa walked over to the table beside the bed and placed the bottle there as she watched the two friends sleep, knowing how they both felt toward each other, and seeing them act out those feelings with such small but sweet gestures made the old woman's heart swell with happiness for the two. So, quietly as she could, she tip-toed out of the room and shut the door quietly behind her.

The old woman made her way to the king's quarters, intent on informing him of the whereabouts of his daughter and explaining why she was in the knight's quarters (though, she decided it best not to tell the king that Zelda had snuck out of the castle to rescue her friend and protector). So, she knocked on his large oak wood door and waited for his response.

"Come in." His deep, rich voice, though muffled through the thick wooden door, even still dripped with authority and intimidation. So, the old woman entered as the king as said to, welcomed with the sight of the king seated at his desk chair, reading over some documents, surely of great importance.

"Your Majesty, I came to inform you that Zelda is in the knight's quarters-"

"The knight's quarters? What in the name of the goddesses is she doing there?" He wasn't angry so much as curious, so thankfully, his voice wasn't so booming as it was when he was riled up.

"You see, Link was seriously injured on his last journey to the mountains to deal with a group of renegade ogres. He came here and asked for my help, and I in turn asked for Zelda's. I thought I should inform you where she was so you would not worry." The king nodded in understanding. Impa turned to leave, when the king suddenly stopped her.

"Oh, and Impa," The old woman stopped and turned back to the king as he sat thoughtful. "Tell me, you are a good tailor for dresses, yes?"

"One of the best."

"Good, then will you make Zelda a wedding dress?"

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Okay, I'm warning you: major drama for the next one or two chapters, then, the ending will be even fluffier than this (I promise)

However, here's the catch: I need as least **30** reviews (total, as in, when you add up the ones I already have to the reviews for this chappie, okay?)


	7. Wisdom

I understand that the King was out of character last chapter, and I sincerely apologize for that, but I'm trying to work around that so he's more in character now. But if I've just ended up moving from one extreme to the next, don't hesitate to tell me (but tell me politely. I'm fragile.) And I'm so sorry for not updating once I had thirty reviews (I had to get their emotions just right!).

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Impa's eyes widened in shock at the word 'wedding,' and although she should be happy that Zelda would finally be a bride as she had dreamt of as a child, knowing that the chances of a certain hero being the groom were rather slim made her heart writhe in pain for the dear girl.

"A wedding dress? But, sir…pardon my asking, but who is she to marry?" The king's thoughtful expression turned to a wistful one as he stroked his beard in thought.

"She will be of age in about a week, and so many princes are asking for her hand already. I thought I'd host a party for the distant royal families that we have allied ourselves with to come, and Zelda will accept one of the offers. That is why I need you to make her a wedding dress." Impa's heart crushed at the king's plan. Poor Zelda and Link had been through hell these past few days, and now, just when they are beginning to show their feelings for each other, she will be torn away from him? And the king expected her to bear the news to the princess, who she saw as a daughter? How could the king ask her to be the one to break Zelda's heart?

More importantly, did the king even know?

"Your Majesty…what if…" Impa stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. "…What if…Zelda is already in love…?" She asked in a quiet whisper. At first, the king regarded her features, as if asking who the man was. But her eyes told the story. It was then that he knew.

"Oh no…" He said quietly, his eyes welling up with tears. He hadn't known. If he had known, had been able to spend the time with his daughter that he wanted to, he might have noticed it before, and would never have organized the ball for such a purpose to begin with. He never wanted to hurt his dear little Zelda, but…it was too late to do anything about the ball; the invitations had already been sent out, the replies had been received, and there was no turning back from this horrible mistake. And with Link being but a commoner…he was not eligible to be one of the choices Zelda would be given. If only the young lad could be knighted, but with the process of being chosen as a knight, and all the complications that came with such a ceremony, it would be too late to make the process worth anything. "…How could I do this…? How could I have not known about my own daughter…?" A single solitary tear trailed sluggishly down his bearded face, the droplet of water sinking into his peppered whiskers. "There's nothing I can do to change it. It's too late." His voice, so thick with sadness at the realization that Zelda would surely be broken from this, and all because he wasn't a good enough father to be able to tell when his own daughter had fallen in love, too engrossed with his own work to spend much time with her, to get to know her like he wanted to, like a father should.

"I will tell her, your Majesty. I will tell her." Impa said gently, leaving the king to go back to the two teens in the knight's quarters. She wasn't sure she could handle Zelda's reaction to the news, or be able to tell Link that he couldn't see Zelda as much anymore. She knew it was all but impossible to explain it all without her aged emotions finally getting the better of her, but she still had to at least try and be strong, if not for herself, than for Zelda and Link.

---

Zelda's eyes fluttered open at the sound of someone near her shuffling around on the bed. Lifting her head from the pillow in an attempt to straighten her stiff neck from sleeping at such an uncomfortable angle, she opened her mouth to say something to Link, only to find that his form was no longer on the bed. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Link…?"

"G'morning, Zelda." The princess turned around from her spot next to the bed, greeted with the sight of Link putting on his –now dry- clothes from beside the bucket of water Impa had put them in the previous night. His bandages lie discarded in a bloodied and crumpled pile on the floor on the opposite side of the bucket, leaving Zelda to look at the hero's lean muscular figure, which mysteriously lacked the injuries it had the previous night. The princess could not help but notice that Link's left arm was now free of the makeshift sling it had been placed in, the said sling mixed in with the discarded bandage. After he finished dressing, Link turned around and smiled his greeting. Zelda's brows furrowed in confusion at the sight of his healed body. Her expression must have looked ridiculous because Link merely chuckled and gestured to the –now empty- potion bottle on the bedside table. "The potion you brought did wonders, Zel, thank you." Zelda quirked an eyebrow in response to his display of appreciation.

"I wasn't the one that brought it here. I fell asleep next to the bed, remember?" Link snapped his fingered and nodded as though he just remembered, though a streak of blush was evident on both his and Zelda's faces at the thought.

"No, child, I was the one that brought it here last night." The two teens turned toward the door at the sound of Impa's voice. The aged woman stood at the entrance to the room, a small, albeit sad smile gracing her lips. She walked over to the bottle and picked it up, cradling it within her arms as though it were an infant, more or less treating it as such. "Zelda, Link, I have some news for you, from the King." The younger two of the group tensed at the grave tone Impa's voice had suddenly taken. Granted, her voice was usually dry and it seemed that she croaked more than talked, but her tone had dropped an octave so suddenly that Link and Zelda felt themselves shiver subconsciously. "Zelda, dear…" The aged woman paused for a shaky, almost hesitant breath. "…because you will be of age in a few weeks, your father has arranged for a ball to be held on your birthday so you may find a suitor. I am to make your wedding dress once you have chosen a prince to marry."

Link swore his heart shattered.

_'No…this isn't happening. It can't be happening…it can't…'_ Link's eyes clouded over in pain. Not the physical pain he had endured in the recent nights, but a deeper wound no potion or elixir could heal. Without thinking, he brought a hand to clutch the fabric of his tunic over his heart, as if to protect it from the inevitable pain of basically losing any chance with his best friend he may have been hoping for. Not only that, but once she was married, she was off limits to _any_ other man for _any_ reason whatsoever, so it not only meant that he could not love Zelda, but he couldn't even be her friend. He turned to Zelda to see her reaction, and almost breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the fear and anger in her usually gentle eyes, what little comfort it offered to him that she was just as 'thrilled' about the idea as he was. She exhaled shakily, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. Her hands rose to guard her face from the world, from the truth- that this meant she could never see Link as a friend again once she was married. Her shoulders shook violently as she suppressed her tears.

This couldn't possibly be happening.

And yet, something in the back of their minds had always been telling them that it wasn't possible, that nothing would ever last between them, that whatever relationship that they built together would just ultimately be torn apart in the end. Link knew that, though they both didn't want to go through with this, Zelda would do it anyway, though only for the sake of Hyrule, putting her emotions and feelings second to her duties as princess of Hyrule. They both knew that she would, and that they would both be unable to move on from each other. The thought was unfathomable to either of the teens.

"Zelda…" Link's voice, thick with emotion, gently called her as he reached a hand to her, offering her comfort and understanding only he could give. It was an offer Zelda could not refuse. Before she could stop herself, she stepped softly into his chest, wrapping her arms around his torso, returning his comfort with her own. His arms didn't hesitate to hold her closer to him a moment before he forced himself to step away. This wasn't right anymore. This was all so wrong, but…it just_ felt_ so right, he restrained himself from returning to her embrace, her warmth, if only for a few seconds more. He smiled painfully at her before bowing his head deeply so that his long bangs hung in front of his face. "I should be leaving now. Farewell, Impa, and thank you for the potion…" His azure eyes, almost violet from pain, met the gaze of his best friend…his love…his…

…his…

"Farewell…my lady." He took her hand kissed the back of it, missing Zelda's pain filled gaze, before walking out the door, praying he wouldn't lose it and break into a run.

Zelda's heart screamed for him to come back.

She whipped around to Link's retreating back, opening her mouth to voice what her heart was saying, plead for him not to leave her, but her throat closed, and no sound came out but a strangled sob she had desperately been trying to hold back. Link was too wrapped up in coaching himself to not look back for him to hear it, and so he disappeared down the hallway. After a few moments of silence, Zelda turned to Impa suddenly, her eyes burning with a determined fire.

"Impa, is my father in his study?" The elderly woman nodded, baffled at Zelda's sudden fire. Not needing anything more, Zelda bolted out the door after Link, praying she wasn't too late. "Link, wait a moment, please!" She called to his retreating form a few yards away from her. He complied with her request, turning to meet her gaze, somewhat shocked to see her determination, her fire, burning within her soft blue eyes. She closed the distance between them before continuing to walk, grabbing his hand and leading him as she passed. "Come on, I've got an idea."

"Whatever you say my-"

"If you call me 'my lady' one more time, I swear I'll have no choice but to slap you, Link. My name is Zelda, hear that? _Zeeeeeldaaaaaaah._" He chuckled at her annunciation of her own name before nodding and following her to her father's chambers.

---

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The king lifted his gaze to his door, surprised that someone was knocking on his door, considering it didn't happen very often. "Enter," he called out just loud enough for the people on the other side of the door to hear him. The heavy wood door opened, and there stood Zelda, hand firmly leading a confused and almost timid looking Link behind her. The king's heart sank at the thought of the pain he must have caused his daughter and the hero of time. "Zelda…Link…" what more could he say? That he was sorry that he was such a terrible father? That-

"Father, Impa has told us about the ball you intend on hosting on the eve I become of age." The king merely nodded, trying to keep his composure long enough to hear what Zelda had to say. "Now, as princess of Hyrule, it is my duty to produce an heir to the throne to keep our lineage going throughout the generations to guard over our beloved homeland. I was born into it, without my own consent, just as you and your ancestors had been. However, I accept the task, and understand why you decided to host a ball for suitors. But I do have one request of my own that needs your consent to be carried through." Again, the king merely nodded, his throat clogged from his heart. "My only request is that Link may be my escort. Do you, father, king of Hyrule, accept my request?"

Had this not been his own daughter, the king would have been amazed at the display of courage this young woman was showing to him. But he knew better; it was, after all, his own daughter, taking after him in bravery and tactics. He smiled, knowing that, as innocent as she appeared, she was also clever. He understood why she was asking this, and his heart swelled with pride knowing that it was his daughter that found a way when he did not. She would make a fine queen once she was married

"I accept your request. Link is to be your escort at the ball until you so choose otherwise." If Zelda's eyes lit up anymore, she would have made the chandelier above them jealous. She bowed her thanks to her father, as did Link (who had remained absolutely silent throughout this exchange between Zelda and the king) before they exited.

"Zelda, what was that all about…?" Link asked once the door shut behind them. The princess placed a delicate finger on Link's lips, a sly smile taking over her features.

"Don't worry about it, Link. Right now, we need to find you something to wear for the ball. You _are_ my escort, after all!" Zelda giggled. Link frowned in thought.

"I thought I'd have to leave and never come back, or something-" Again, he was hushed by Zelda's finger on his lips.

"You're still worrying about it. So stop, okay? What we need to worry about is getting you ready for the ball!" Link sighed, giving up on trying to figure out the meaning of him being her escort and deciding to just enjoy being around her while he could before following her down the hall.

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So, so, so sorry for the long wait! The next chappie will be the ball, and you'll find out the significance of Link being an escort, and everything will be over (as in, you know, the last chapter of this story! Yaaaaay!) Read and review!


	8. It comes to this

I am so, so, so, SO sorry for the wait, but to make up for it, this chapter is relatively long in content, and the fluff has been increased (because it's the end, sillies!) What made this ending so frustrating was how I had planned it out ended up being a pain in the ass to write down, so there were about seven other endings I had come up with before this one. So, without further ado, chapter eight! (And when I meant relatively long, I meant that you should grab a bag of popcorn while you read this…it's REALLY long.)

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"Zelda, remind me where we're going again…?" Link asked curiously from behind Zelda as she led him down a vast corridor of the castle. The princess giggled as she turned left down a shorter hallway. Link nearly missed the action, so he had to double back and jog a few steps to catch up with her. "_Zelda…_" Link half whined when he didn't receive an answer.

"Relax, Link! We're just going to the wardrobe room to find you a shirt for the ball (your pants could use some replacing, too, you know)." She giggled again, absolutely elated with the fact that there was indeed a way that they could be together. The thought made her stomach tickle with the fluttering of butterflies. Upon reaching the end of the hallway, they came across a rather rustic looking door made of warped wood. Zelda sighed at the vague thought that this was a more forgotten area of the castle to basically all but Link and herself.

With a soft "umph" under her breath, she pushed the door open, disregarding its rusted and misused hinges and their sharp creaks. She motioned for Link to follow her inside before she turned and walked over to the other end of the room, where an old and dusty wooden wardrobe sat bathed in the sunlight streaming from the window, dulled from the layer of dust that had collected on the glass. Link inspected the room intently, though other than the wardrobe that Zelda was shuffling through, there was nothing more to look at other than the walls. Nonetheless, Link's gaze returned to Zelda as she turned with a few articles of clothing draped over her forearm. "Here, try these on." She extended her arm for him to take the clothes. He blinked incredulously at her a moment.

"…HERE?!? More importantly…_NOW?!?_" The poor and confused hero said, his eyes widening in shock. Zelda rolled her eyes at her friend before dumping the clothes playfully in his arms.

"Yes here, silly. I'm going out in the hall, so just come out when you're done!" With a soft laugh under her breath, the princess walked out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. Link shifted his eyes from the door to the clothes she had handed him. A simple, yet proper long sleeved shirt and a pair of pants lie folded sloppily in his arms, along with a pair of black dyed leather shoes. The shirt, a beautifully dark burgundy, was made of a soft, yet light fabric. The silver buttons that ran up the middle its front stood out rather well against the darkness of the shirt's color. The pants were a rich black, and apparently made of the same fabric as the shirt. He shrugged off his tunic and slipped the shirt on over his head. Once he managed to slide his arms through the sleeves, he reached over and grabbed the pants. After kicking off his boots and changing into the black pants and shoes, he looked down at himself, pleased with the results of Zelda's findings. He turned and opened the door, grunting a bit as the rusty hinges gave some resistance as they had before. Upon hearing the door open, Zelda turned and faced Link with a friendly smile, which was soon replaced with a look of shock as she seemed to remember how well built his body was. Her face suddenly felt unbelievably hot, and she was pretty sure that it wasn't from humidity (perhaps _humility_, but not humidity). The shirt and pants displayed his frame rather well, yet somehow seemed to make his chivalry more emphasized.

"May I be so bold as to inquire the opinion of milady?" Link bowed grandly, sweeping his left arm its full length from his body as he did so. Zelda giggled from behind a dainty hand before swirling her finger to silently ask him to do a spin for her to inspect his entire frame. He stood and did as she had silently requested, grinning from ear to ear when her blush only darkened. "Milady is pleased with the results, I presume?"

"Oh, do be quiet, Link before I have you go to the ball in a gown." His mouth snapped shut with an audible 'click' of teeth, emphasizing that he fully comprehended her threat. She giggled again, not bothering to cover her mouth with her hand this time. "Honestly though, you look dashing in that, Link." She admitted, lifting her hand to a lock of hair that had managed to fall in front of her face, but froze as Link tucked the tress of hair behind her ear with such a tenderness that she found her knees suddenly buckling under her weight. "Link, what…was that for…?" He shrugged, feigning indifference despite the streak of blush that ran across the sun kissed canvas of his face.

"I'm not quite sure what possessed me to do it, Zelda. I just…wanted to while I still could…my apologies." He muttered quietly, as though he feared if his voice was too loud that the moment would be shattered.

"Don't be sorry…" She whispered in the same manner, as if they shared a common fear at that moment. The sudden blare of trumpets outside, however, seemed intent on realizing that fear, as the loud and shrill calls echoed throughout the halls of Hyrule Castle. The two teens walked over to one of the dusty windows, peering through the glass to attempt to see the source of the loud sounds. Far below the floor they were in, four trumpeters on as many noble steeds continued to blare their horns high into the skies from the castle grounds below, behind them a stallion even blacker than night carried a rather young, albeit dashing bluish black haired male in rich scarlet robes. Before the small band of horseback men stood Zelda's father, accompanied by Impa and his closest vizier. As the trumpets ceased their ringing calls, the dashing young man perched atop the black horse dismounted swiftly and began making his way toward the King of Hyrule, his steps echoing with authority and pride with each stride of his long masculine legs. The trumpeters, still mounted on their horses, parted for the young man as he stopped before the king. The two men made eye contact for a few moments, the man's striking navy blue eyes staring gently into the King's darker ones before the scarlet cloaked man knelt at the king's feet.

"Your Majesty, King of Hyrule, I come with my men under the invitation sent by your hand, so that I may have a chance at asking for Princess Zelda's. I, Denkomaru, Prince of Terabithia, have come to accept the invitation." The man, Denkomaru, rose to his feet and bowed grandly before the king. The king nodded his head to the young male before turning to his vizier and mumbling something inaudible to him.

"The lands of Hyrule, as well as its castle, welcome you, Prince Denkomaru of Terabithia. You are the first to arrive of the suitors seeking the same hand as you are, but your stay is welcomed all the same. My vizier will gladly show you to your room." With a nod of thanks, the prince stood and followed the vizier as his men on horseback turned and began their journey back to their homeland.

(A/n: I know Terabithia is a made up place in the movie 'Bridge to Terabithia,' and Denkomaru is Issun's sword in 'Okami' but I liked the sound of the title "Denkomaru of Terabithia…" I'm weird like that. Forgive an authoress for her lack of originality.)

"…A suitor…" Zelda muttered, as if trying the word on her tongue. Her stomach churned at the thought of having to greet him in the grand hall at this very moment when she was perfectly content to stay here with Link, but she knew there was no other option unless she fancied disgracing all of Hyrule to one of its strongest and closest allies, a thought that was anything but pleasing. So, casting one fleeting look at Link, she was about to go, but froze when Link made no move to follow. "Link, we have to go and greet him in the grand hall." His clouded gaze was torn from the window to peer at Zelda curiously.

"Zelda, you're the one that has to go, right?"

"Yes, but you're my escort, silly. Now, come on before we miss them!" Link nodded and followed her after they gathered his old clothes in a safe place for keeping. Thankfully, they just managed to reach the floor above the grand hall and make their way down one of the two staircases just as Denkomaru and the king's vizier appeared in the entrance below. Zelda's pace slowed considerably as she sauntered down the steps with practiced grace and authority. Link slowed his pace as well, though his footfalls were a bit fumbled as he tried mimicking Zelda's. Denkomaru's navy blue eyes, which had been sweeping over Zelda's womanly body, jerked their gaze over to the less than confident hero beside her, raising a thin dark brow in amusement. "Prince Denkomaru of Terabithia," Zelda addressed the young man in a gentle voice as she held her head high and stiffened her back. Her smile sent the prince, as well as the hero beside her, into an almost dreamlike state for a moment before the prince cleared his head and bowed respectfully at the princess before him.

"Princess Zelda, please do call me Denkomaru; I tire of the alleged need of a title in my name." Denkomaru said as he straightened. The prince then paused a moment to gaze at Zelda's face fondly, as though he had never seen a more lovely face in all his years. "Milady, the painting of your face the king sent me did you no justice," the prince gingerly took Zelda's hand and kissed it tenderly. "Your radiance, your beauty, can neither be simply documented in the finest words of the most brilliant man, nor the most skilled stroke of the most talented artist's brush. Seeing such a woman with my own eyes is like seeing a goddess." Zelda's face flushed at his fine words, but she was not a woman so easily won over. She slid her hand from his hold politely, her smile never once faltering.

"Your flattery is charming, Denkomaru. However, do not use such words in hopes to sway me so easily," She said lightly, her smile widening slightly. "After all, you are the only suitor here at the moment, other than my escort, Link." She gestured at the hero beside her happily. The prince turned his gaze to the other male and regarded him a moment before voicing his thoughts.

"You wouldn't happen to be the same Link in the tales told of Hyrule even in Terabithia, would you?" Link's features flushed in flattery.

"That would in fact be me, sir." He replied quietly whilst shuffling his feet shyly. Denkomaru's eyes widened as he gazed over the hero, seemingly to drink in the sight of the confirmation of his suspicions.

"_You_ are Link, the Hero of Time? _You_ are the one who killed Ganondorf…?" The prince uttered incredulously. The hero bowed in respect to the prince.

"The very same, milord." Link replied kindly to Denkomaru's baffled question, vaguely wondering why it was so hard to believe. Denkomaru blinked a moment, as if to come up with a reply to the answer given to him.

"You…were never taught proper etiquette, were you? Pardon my saying, but you seemed like you were a stumbling fool, a new servant to Lady Zelda at best." Zelda gasped quietly in outrage at Denkomaru's outburst before her brows drew together in a frown. How dare someone say that to the very one that they owed their life to, royalty or not? The thought was despicable! A raging anger began to burn within her at this man's disrespect toward Link, her body tensing as her fist balling at her sides.

"How-!" Zelda was cut off by Link's gentle hand on her shoulder. She snapped her gaze to him, about to retort, but the soft, calm look on his face dulled the enraged fire of anger burning in her stomach enough so that she let him have his say so. Her frame relaxed, her fists unclenched, but the angry fire never left her soft blue eyes as she glared guardedly at Denkomaru. Link turned to the prince with the same gentleness in his striking blue gaze as when he had looked at Zelda.

"No, I have not been taught the ways of royal etiquette; there was never a need for it, considering I am but a commoner born and raised among the fields of Hyrule. Pardon the lack of sophisticated speech and mannerisms of royals, though I mean absolutely no disrespect." Link bowed again, emphasizing the meaning of his words. He straightened, clearing his throat before offering Zelda his arm charmingly. "My lady, I believe we should let the vizier show Prince Denkomaru to his room- you must greet the other coming suitors, mind you." Zelda smiled warmly at Link, accepting his arm with both hands as the vizier led a stunned Denkomaru of Terabithia up the stairs and toward the guest hall.

"Link, how did you control your temper with such disgracing words thrown at you? I would have exploded by now!" Zelda asked softly, leaning against him as she rested her head on his shoulder. He blushed at her actions but did nothing to move away from her.

"Engaging in a fight would only serve to disgrace Hyrule as well as its royalty. Starting a fight would do nothing less but end up in us belittling ourselves, Zelda." He replied calmly as he tilted his head down so that the side of his head was resting atop hers. Her smile softened at the contact as her grip tightened on his arm just noticeably so. "Besides, I would rather not fall victim to your wrath if I damaged these clothes in the very same week as the ball." He added as an afterthought jokingly. Zelda laughed as she tapped his shoulder playfully.

"Good to know that you understand me so well without me saying a word." She retorted with a wry smile. The hero merely grinned and shrugged.

"Um…d'you think I can go get my old clothes back on? I just don't trust myself with these on; I feel like I'll mess 'em up." Link admitted, looking down at the new outfit bashfully. Zelda laughed under her breath but walked with him back to the old wardrobe room nonetheless, both quietly reveling in the fact that their hands seemed to suddenly intertwine between them as they walked.

---

As Link and Zelda made their way back to the grand hall to greet two more suitors, Link dressed back into his usual hero attire, they found out the hard way that these suitors were categorized in one of two groups: the well defined and mature gentlemen type, and…

"Oi, pleas'r t'meet yeh, Lady Zelda!"

"Yes, a pleas'r 'ndeed, m'lady!"

… the unbelievably boorish and stupid ones.

Smiling despite the unbelievably improper grammar (particularly for a royal), Zelda bowed grandly before the newcomer princes. Both males might have looked around her age, that is, if they hadn't been so overly fat and unmannerly. Black greasy hair matted their sweaty foreheads as their dark beady eyes, hazy from apparent intoxication, roamed lustfully over Zelda's body. The princess's smile faltered considerably as she noticed their rather unruly behavior.

"Pardon my asking, good men, but are you…by any chance…fond of drink…?" Zelda asked politely, though just by judging the strong alcoholic odor of their breath from this distance, she already had a pretty good answer to that in her mind. One of the symmetrical pair of men replied, in a rather thick voice, "Heh…'was fond o' it not five minute' ago. 'Doubt much's changed since then, m'lady." The two men laughed heartily at their own joke, if it was even to be considered one by sober minded standards. By now Link's smile had long since vanished, and had been so since he noticed the lustful stares of the intoxicated royals before them, and with a quick glance toward Zelda, her smile was nearly spent as well.

"…I see…and what are your names, my good men…?" She said, the effort to make herself sound gentle and polite straining on her vocal chords.

"Ah, where're our manners, eh? I be jolly ol' George of MacBane," One of the men slurred, jabbing a pudgy finger at himself proudly before clapping the identical man beside him on the back. "An' this brute be Gregory of MacBane, m' twin brother." Again, the twins chuckled deeply at their own drunken jokes that seemed none too humorous to anyone else in the hall. Zelda cleared her throat.

"Well, it was wonderful to meet the both of you, but we must prepare for the ball. My father's vizier will show you to your rooms. Goodnight…gentlemen." The princess managed to grit out somewhat politely before the two drunken brothers staggered after the vizier down the corridor across the room. No sooner than they had disappeared around the corner did Zelda release a rather loud sigh before letting her head droop. "…How many suitors are there left…?" She moaned as her fingers began to massage her temples lightly. Link paused for a moment and counted down their allied lands that the King had sent invitations to.

"Well, the suitors from Terabithia and MacBane have already shown up, and the invitations to Medora, Shigatsu, and Grendaline were responded to saying that they couldn't make it due to complications, so this is it, fortunately." With every suitor that entered Hyrule's kingdom, Link knew that his precious Zelda would drift further and further away from his arms and into those of the foreign men. But he would not grow bitter over it; it would mean that Zelda could finally start the family that she had always wanted, be the mother that she had oft dreamt of being when she was younger, and could succeed her father when the time came and become Queen of Hyrule. She would be happy, in the long run, to be able to watch over her people as she could only observe her father doing until this point, and his own happiness took a back seat to hers, in his eyes.

"Thank the goddesses," she replied wearily as she nearly failed to suppress a yawn. Stealing a glance at the princess beside him, Link couldn't help but feel sorry for not being able to help Zelda through some of the stress of being a noble.

"Look at it this way- the ball will be in about six days, so this won't drag on for much longer," he said in an attempt to cheer Zelda up at least a little. She made a noise that might have been a soft laugh under her breath.

"At least you have a sense of lightheartedness throughout all of this. I'm glad that that's a constant around here," the princess replied quietly while wringing her hands nervously. Sensing her nervousness, Link acted on impulse and gently caught her in a comforting embrace. He wasn't entirely sure what prompted him to do such a thing, and he was well aware that it would have to end sometime soon, but…it just…it felt so damn _wonderful_…

He cringed when Zelda stiffened in his arms a moment, but his worries were quelled as she returned the embrace happily. "Thank you, Link. I guess I sort of needed this…" Zelda whispered, mentally shocking herself at the words that had just escaped her lips. When had she ever been known to be so sentimental around Link…? Even she could not recall the last time they had an embrace this affectionate; moments like this were oh too few in their opinion. "Listen, Link…" her voice, already soft and gentle, trailed off as she tightened her hold on his frame as she spoke. "I'm…I'm sorry for making you go through all of this with me. I know that it can get stressful greeting suitors all day, and I just wanted to apologize for their unruly behavior…all of them, they were brutes, even Denkomaru was disrespectful toward you, and you didn't deserve that. Not from them, and not from anyone else," as she spoke, she noticed Link had held her much closer and one of his hands had begun to stroke her long hair tenderly, though whether his actions were out of comfort to himself, understanding of her words, or affection, she wasn't quite sure.

"It's alright, Zelda; nothing anyone says is going to change who I am or how I act, and it's nothing for me to get bitter over or dwell on, but I thank you for saying that," the hero murmured somewhere near the crown of her head. Zelda quietly stepped out of his arms just as a warm smile began to spread across her face. With a quiet laugh under her breath, she found herself bringing a dainty hand up to hide the growing blush on her cheeks. Link scratched the back of his neck shyly.

"Oh!" Link raised an eyebrow at Zelda's sudden outburst. "I almost forgot; I noticed when we were walking down the stairs the other day, when Denkomaru first arrived, that you were kind of stumbling as you came down…" her voice trailed off when she saw his hardly visible flinch, as though he had just been whipped. "There's nothing wrong with that, Link. I was actually going to see if…well, if you wanted me to help you learn the proper way to walk down the stairs. You know, for the ball and everything," she knew that she was babbling nonsense at this point, and was rather grateful when Link nodded his thanks at her offer. With a smile and not another word, she took his hand and led him back up the stairs, stopping at the top of the staircase. "Okay, at the ball, we'll have to walk down the steps together, so we need to move at the same time. I'll have to hold your arm like this," she wrapped her own arms around his right one as she pressed her side to his. "Good, now when we walk down the stairs, we have to keep at a slow pace. Not at a crawl, but a much slower walk than normal. We'll practice this a few times until you get the hang of it," he could only nod and step in time with her down the stairs. It took a little while, but after about the second try, he was perfectly in sync with the princess at his side. "That was excellent, Link!" She said happily after a few more good runs on the practice. With a faint laugh, she gave him a warm hug in congrats. When she released him, he scratched the back of his neck shyly in an attempt to keep his mind off of the blush streaking his face.

"Well, it's getting kinda late, so I guess we should get to bed, huh?" He muttered stupidly, unable to manage any other words on his own, or rather, none of the words he would've _liked_ to say at the moment.

"I suppose you're right. Come on, I'll show you where the other suitors are sleeping." Finding his hand and lacing his fingers with hers, she guided him down the same corridor that Gregory, George, and Denkomaru were led down earlier that day. She stopped at the first door on the right and peeked into the room to see if any of the other suitors were occupying the space. Finding no one, she opened the door half way. "Here we are," she said in a hushed voice, so as not to disturb the other suitors in the other rooms. "Goodnight, Link," Suddenly feeling bolder than usual, the princess reached up and softly kissed the hero's cheek before walking swiftly back toward her room. His eyes widened as he gingerly touched the cheek she had kissed, as if to relish the feel of the lips of such an angel touching his mortal body. He walked into his room, not really taking in the space around him, still in a daze from such a small show of affection. He turned, about to shut the door, but stopped as he smiled softly before whispering a quiet "Goodnight…Zelda," to no one in particular before clicking the door shut quietly.

In the days that followed, Link hardly saw much of Zelda, much to his dismay. She was either talking with the other suitors, or off with Impa to be fitted for the gown that she was to wear at the ball that was fast approaching. About five days after the suitors arrived at the castle, and a mere day away from the ball, Zelda was again whisked away by Impa to do some finishing touches on her dress, leaving Link with the three foreign men. Thankfully, Gregory and George were sober for the time being, so at least now the hero could see how they acted when their thoughts weren't clouded by alcohol.

"I tell you, George," Gregory said as the four men sat at a table in the dining hall of the castle. "Once Lady Zelda sees me in my finest robes at the ball tomorrow, there's no way that she'll be able to turn me down." He boasted as he thumped his chest proudly. His twin brother rolled his eyes at the remark before adding one of his own. "She'll have quite a hard time noticing you when she takes just one look at me, brother." George retorted, gesturing grandly to himself with a flabby arm, earning a snicker from Gregory. Denkomaru groaned as he rested his forehead in his hand before gingerly massaging his temples.

"I don't know which is worse- the fact that they're drunkards, or the fact that they're boastful drunkards the equivalence to a _commoner_- oh-" suddenly realizing that Link, whom was sitting across the table from him, was in fact a commoner himself, he started to correct himself. "I'm terribly sorry, I mean, I-" thankfully, Link raised a hand to save the prince from further babbling.

"It's alright. I understand what you mean. They are boorish men, I'll agree." Link commented softly so as not to be heard by their topic of conversation. Thankfully, the conceited brothers were far too interested in impressing themselves to worry about what either of the two men had to say. "It seems that it doesn't matter whether they are drunk or not; they still act like selfish wild beasts." Link noted to himself, shaking his head in disproval. Denkomaru rose his glass of water in a toast.

"I drink to that statement," the prince as he lifted the rim of the glass to his lips. He took a liberal amount of water from the cup, about to swallow the cool liquid when Zelda walked through one of the doors adjacent from the table the suitors sat at. The princess smiled warmly, a smile that was returned fully by every man seated before her, despite the fact that Denkomaru still hadn't swallowed the rather large mouthful of water that now made his cheeks bulge. Seeing his ridiculously blown up face, Zelda was thrown into a small fit of giggles as she took a seat across from Link, next to Denkomaru. Thankfully, Link discreetly motioned to the prince that he still hadn't swallowed his mouthful of water, to which he quickly took care of the dilemma. "So, princess, Link and I were just discussing the ball tomorrow evening, I believe, weren't we?" Lady Luck seemed to suddenly decide to be benevolent to Denkomaru, as Link easily picked up on the little white lie that was thrown down as a cover.

"Yes, I believe we were. You were about to tell me how you felt about the Hyrulian orchestra, am I correct?" Link was not one to lie, especially not to or in front of Zelda, but it was either that or risk disgracing Denkomaru to Zelda. Sure, it might have made her respect the prince less, and ultimately have her possibly turn down the only suitor that came even close to deserving her, but that was an all-time low that Link knew he could never sink to. He was not about to deny Zelda her chance at happiness just because he was selfish and wanted to be the suitor she chose willingly. After all, he had no land, no wealth, no royal blood to hold any chance against these princes, be they foreign or not. Such thoughts plagued the hero throughout the day as he thankfully got to spend it with Zelda, almost entirely to themselves through sunset.

"So, tell me, which suitor do you think would be best…well…suited for me?" Zelda asked casually as they walked through the gardens surrounding the castle just when the last traces of twilight were scattered on the horizon. Link felt his heart drop into his stomach. He had known full well that she would eventually ask _someone_ that dreaded question, though, honestly, did it have to be _him_ rather than someone like Impa that had more…experience in this field?

"Well, ah," _'__me__ Zelda, I'm your best choice, or…I would be if I was a prince…or even just a knight, but alas…'_ "Denkomaru seems to be the most well rounded of the three princes that have shown up," _'Despite the fact that he has no respect for you, the way that he stares lustfully at you when you don't look. But __I__ see it, Zelda.'_ "But that's not really saying much, if you look at Gregory and George and the way that they act even when they're sober. But it is ultimately your choice in the end, Zelda." Link choked on his words as he tried swallowing the lump in his throat that he swore was large enough to be his heart. For a full minute the princess at his side said nothing, merely regarding his facial expressions, and the emotions that danced frantically through his eyes. Now he vaguely wondered if she would find out that he loved her. It wouldn't be too difficult to do, especially not for such an incredible woman as she was.

"I see," she muttered just loud enough to shatter the unbearable silence between the two. "But you excluded yourself, Link. What about you?" The lump in his throat rose higher, high enough to block his voice from escaping. What about him? It wasn't as if he was a suitor; it wasn't as if he could lay claim to her heart in any way, so what about him?

"Zelda, you know full well that it doesn't matter what-"

"It _does_ matter, Link. Don't you understand that? I want to know how you feel about this, too. You are, after all, my escort, so I must consult you on the matter of my marriage." She knew that she was withholding the real reason that she wanted to know his opinion on himself, but she needed to know if he harbored any affection for her beyond friendship. So, she then added in a much more stern voice, "and so I ask you again, Link of Hyrule, what about _you_?"

Link's thoughts were a jumble of shock, wonder, and frustration. Although he had a chance to prove to Zelda that he was worth her love, no matter how much he would say otherwise, it would only be a mere jumble of words that could not change his status to make anything between them possible, if there was anything there to begin with. So, with one final swallow to rid his throat of that troublesome lump, he stumbled desperately for a reason she should chose him. "Well…I-I can't just sit here and lie anymore, Zelda. I have seen the way that even Denkomaru looks at you, each one of those suitors' eyes filled to the brim with lust and desire for your body. It's not that I don't find you beautiful, but there are more qualities to you than your appearance," to say that Zelda was touched with his honesty was an understatement, but she merely nodded for him to continue. He obliged willingly, "They belittle you as a woman, I hear them talk amongst themselves, the way that they would make all the decisions in both Hyrule and their own home region and exclude you from it. I know how much you love Hyrule, and how much you care for its people, and I can't stand the thought of you not being a part of their welfare and I'm sure neither would anyone in Hyrule. Those men…those…_beasts_ are merely looking for a trophy wife, a queen for nothing but display, and you deserve much more than that, and as for me, I…I am your best friend, Zelda. I know more about you, your life, who you really _are_ than any of those brutes in the castle! If I were a suitor, if I were in the place of one of those men in there, I would have taken the opportunity to _show_ you, Zelda, that I care very deeply for you…that I, a mere commoner, have fallen for my future queen…hopelessly," at this point, he had lost count of the words that flowed from his lips as they tumbled out of control. All of the frustration he had harbored within himself was finally being released, and although his chest felt lighter, it tightened at the thought that now that he had basically defaced every one of her suitors, Zelda's dreams were likely all but shattered, as was their friendship and the way that it once was, and he had just laid his heart before her in the open, something he had never done in any situation before in his life. "I'll…I'll just be leaving for bed now," he muttered in shame of his earlier words. "Goodnight, Zelda." She smiled warmly at him.

"Goodnight, and thank you for your opinion. It matters more to me than you could ever know, Link, and…I feel the same way." He gave her a soft, albeit bittersweet smile before he walked toward the castle, glad that his feelings did not go unrequited but all the same knowing he was a commoner, and by no means, a prince. He was nearly at his destination, when a sudden tug on his hand made him stop to see what it was. Before he could pull away, Zelda reached up and kissed his cheek once more. "I forgot to give you that," she giggled, a triumphant smirk making its way across her face. Link raised an amused eyebrow as he watched her face light up in silent victory. _'She wants to play that game, eh? Well, I can do that, too.'_ He deftly raised a hand to run his calloused, albeit smooth fingers over her cheek bone, loving how her skin crawled pleasantly underneath his touch. Without another word, he pulled his hand away and walked inside toward his room, leaving Zelda to stand and gape after him, a radiant streak of red practically glowing on her cheeks.

The following morning, Link was the first of the men to get up. Sure, he might not be one of Zelda's suitors, but he still needed to prepare for the ball tonight. After all, he didn't want to be the one in commoner's clothes when he was Zelda's escort, and in front of foreign royals, no less! He quietly crept out of his room, quickly turning to hush the creaking of the door's hinges as it shut slowly. Once he heard the soft 'click' that indicated that the door had been shut, he made haste down the hall and to the stairs, mindful of the noise his footfalls gave off. Finally, after a few close-calls with some of the guards, and a missed turn here and there, the hero was creeping back into his room with the bundle of clothes and the pair of boots tucked securely in his arms. Once his door shut behind him and he had discarded his armload of articles of clothing, Link did a silent dance of victory in his mind as he neatly arranged his clothes and separated them by article.

Everything was set out for tonight; his clothes lay neatly upon his bed, his black boots sat at the end of his bed on the floor, and he had managed to procure a wooden comb for fixing his unruly hair when the time came to prepare for tonight. Sure, he might not be one of the men in the running for Zelda's heart, but he'd be damned if he didn't at least _look_ like it.

His sharp hearing picked up the sleepy shuffling of the other suitors, indicating that everyone else in the castle must be stirring by now. With a quick glance toward the window at the position of the sun, his suspicions were correct. With an ecstatic smirk, he dressed in his usual hero's attire and practically _floated_ down the hall, earning him groggily quizzical glances from the suitors he passed. Ah well, at least he would get to show those dolts what a _real_ gentlemen was like and give an example of _how_ someone like Zelda deserved to be treated. He would make damn sure that he put those men to shame, despite his being a commoner. Though, in all honesty, the only reason he was so anxious was that he couldn't wait to see Zelda; no one was to see her until the ball tonight. _'As if it really _were_ her wedding day,'_ Link thought wryly as he sat at the table with the other men, chewing a bit of bread thoughtfully as he did so. After breakfast, the suitors were allowed to stay in their rooms to prepare for the ball that was fast approaching as the other members of the royal families from every allied kingdom, including Hyrule, were arriving. Sure, most of them did not send a suitor for Zelda to choose from, but it was still in their hands to make sure that the choosing of the bachelor went smoothly and to aid in the final details of the engagement after the selection was done.

Link could feel the dread setting in.

The ball was fast approaching; in a few mere hours, he would lose any connections with Zelda forever, and she might not mind so much anymore with the things he had said the previous night…his actions…

…now HE was the boorish one.

His earlier ecstatic mood was gradually being quelled with every word that he had recalled falling from his lips last night, the very lips that had shown such affection to Zelda. Any inkling of cheerfulness had been washed away with the wave of the enormity of his words. His heart was in the deepest pit of his stomach. Not only was Zelda being stolen from him, but they were being torn apart even when they didn't want to be, when they just admitted their feelings…oh, the frustration! The hero shook his head. No, he wasn't going to think like this; he was going to face Zelda, and treat her like a friend should treat other friends. He would have to simply content himself with that while he still had that much to hold on to.

Straightening visibly, Link picked up his clothes and kicking off his worn old boots before he changed into the outfit Zelda had found for him and replacing his boots with the black ones that matched it. He walked over to the mirror adjacent to the bed and looked himself over, pleased once again with the turn-out of his look…except for his hair, for which he reached for the wooden comb he had earlier managed to obtain. A few strokes of the utensil and he was fully content with his reflection. His hair had (for reasons unknown to him) seemed to let him comb it the way he wanted it to look- a stark difference from his usual wrestle with his thick and messy locks.

The orchestra music began to filter down the hall pleasantly just as Link set his comb down. He cursed mentally; he was supposed to be meeting Zelda at the door of her room to escort her entrance into the ball. After he tossed the comb onto his bed hurriedly, he burst through the door and walked briskly toward his destination.

By the time he reached Zelda's room, the wonderful sounds of several woodwind and brass instruments blended perfectly with the ongoing music of the strings instruments down in the grand hallway. The melody rang soothingly in his ears as he raised his fist to knock on the door. After knocking three times, he waited patiently for Zelda to answer. However, he was not ready for the sight that welcomed his very _male_ eyes once the door slid open.

If her usual looks weren't enough to convince Link that Zelda was a goddess in human form, _this_ night's particular form was surely taking care of that right now. Her two shortest pieces of golden hair, the ones usually draping over her shoulders, were carefully twisted and pulled to the back of her head to come together with the help of a powder blue ribbon that trailed down the length of the rest of her long flowing locks, adorned with small specks of glitter. Her porcelain white cheeks were tinted a natural rosy pink shade from modesty, and her cherry lips curled into a soft, inviting smile. Small diamond pendant earrings dangled from silver studs in her ears, and for once, the tiara so commonly seen on her forehead was nonexistent, allowing her to be seen for more than just her status as princess of Hyrule. A simple silver chain with a soft blue star pendant hung from her neck to symbolize her delicate nature. Her gown was made of a deep royal blue fabric that seemed to shimmer with her every move (or perhaps it was all just in his mind, Link thought to himself,) with a collar that dipped into a 'v' shape just enough to show the slightest bit of cleavage and long slender sleeves that showed off her well shaped arms. The skirt accented her hips astonishingly well as it flowed slightly away from her body clear to the floor.

Saying that Link was stunned was like saying that Ganondorf was an evil man; it was far too general of an explanation to be understood completely and it does the emotion Link was feeling absolutely no justice. His heart had currently found that it had forgotten to produce a rhythmic heartbeat to keep our hero standing on two firm feet. Either that or it was the fact that his knees had suddenly deemed this an excellent time to disobey his mental begging to stop buckling. Somehow, just seeing her like that, his entire body's functioning system just seemed to skip and be so easily thrown out of control. How this woman affected him so was a mystery the hero wasn't so sure he would ever be able to solve.

"Link, we don't want to be late," he had to blink a few times before registering her soft voice through the dizzyingly light sensations he was beginning to feel from being this close to her. He straightened to his full height and nodded his head before silently offering her his arm. She took it with a smile on her face, a smile so contagious he didn't even realize he was returning it before it was too late.

Just as the two friends walked across to the top of the staircase that led into the grand hall, the music softened considerably so as to not divert attention from the lovely woman that Link was accompanying as she sauntered down the stairs, with him mirroring her movements almost perfectly, just as they had practiced. The eyes of everyone below them were trained on the princess and her escort as they made their descent, a soft roar of mutterings about her beauty and the man at her side were all jumbled into broken tidbits of sentences that no one was entirely sure they could finish beginning to ring throughout the space.

"Just look at the princess's dress-!"

"And just who is that man-"

"Is that boy a suitor-?"

"Lady Zelda looks astonishing on this-"

"Who is that dashing young man-?"

Link's head spun with so many jumbled voices ringing in his ears that he wasn't quite sure if he'd make it to the bottom of the stairs without his head hurting (and with a glance at Zelda, neither was she). But the goddesses must have blessed them that night, for they reached the marble floor without as much as a headache. The music started to crescendo just enough that the melodic sounds of the instruments bounced off of the marble walls of the hall soothingly, an indication to everyone to start ballroom dancing. Zelda turned her head upward toward Link, her smile never once faltering as she regarded him. In response, he grandly offered her his hand as he bowed.

"May I have this dance, Zelda?" With a lighthearted laugh, the princess took her escort's hand as he stood and pulled her to him. His hand remained entwined with hers at their shoulder length while his free arm wrapped around her waist. As they were swept into the flow of twirling skirts and sweeping couples across the hall, Zelda rested her head on Link's warm chest, not entirely sure that she could recall the last time she felt so happy and whole. Link's head dipped to rest atop hers as his arm unconsciously tightened just the slightest bit around her. The frenzy of the background scenery and those occupying it were suddenly lost to the two of them as they twirled around aimlessly and simply reveled in their closeness, but for how long, neither could really say. A sudden tap on Link's shoulder ended their wonderful dance as he turned to face Denkomaru.

"Would you allow me the honor to dance with the most beautiful woman in this entire hall, perhaps?" Ah, if only Denkomaru's chivalry was sincere, if only. As much as Zelda was against the thought of leaving Link's arms, she had no choice but to comply; after all, every suitor here was entitled to at least one dance with the available princess, no matter how pigheaded they were. So, with one last squeeze, the princess left Link's side and joined Denkomaru in a dance. The prince wasted no time in trying to close any distance between their bodies that he could, but it seemed that Zelda would have none of that, and kept at a three inch distance of him, to which Link couldn't help but feel some pride in knowing that she preferred his company over Denkomaru's. That dance didn't last long before either Gregory or George (they were both so alike in appearance, it was rather difficult to tell them apart) pulled her away from him and off to continue dancing in an unbelievably wild and thrashing sort of manner. The identical twin brother didn't wait too long after that to take his turn of a dance with Zelda much in the same manner as the first sibling had. Thankfully, Link had decided enough was enough and made up the excuse that Zelda was starting to feel dizzy (which wasn't entirely made up, given her last two dances) and led her away from both of the twins, to which she sincerely thanked him for between gasps of air.

"Oh goddesses, Link…" the dazed princess rested her head comfortably in the crook of his neck as her arms enveloped his broad shoulders, "I really do hope that they don't ask me for another dance…either one of them." Link wrapped an arm around her waist to offer a bit of comfort.

"Don't worry, Zelda; they'll have to get past me in order to dance with you. I _am_, after all, your escort," his smirk was merit enough for her to start laughing.

"I suppose you're right-" she stopped short, as did the orchestra. Zelda turned away from Link, who in turn retracted his arm from her waist as they both scanned the area for the cause of the sudden silence. The mass of flowing gowns and merrymaking halted immediately as the King of Hyrule stood from his seat before the entire hall. Kings and nobles from all of the other neighboring lands sat at his left and right, gazing at him expectantly. After a few moments of regarding the crowd, the king cleared his throat,

"I thank you all for joining us this evening, for on this joyous day we have gathered here for the coming of age of the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda Harkanian. My daughter, will you please step forth?" The crowd before the princess parted almost instantaneously to make a pathway for her. Link gave her a sad smile before stepping back with the rest of the crowd. Zelda smiled briefly before turning to the other royals before her with a solemn expression. As she walked toward them, her footfalls echoed with confidence and determination, so much so that her father could not help but to smile proudly at his daughter for a moment. As Zelda continued down to her destination, the crowd filled in the makeshift divide behind her until she stood alone before the line of nobles. "And now, I shall call upon the suitors one at a time to come forth," the king paused to clear his throat once again before continuing, "Denkomaru of Terabithia," the dashing young prince stepped forth from the audience a few feet behind Zelda. "Gregory of MacBane," Once of the fat princes squeezed through the faceless crowd members to join Denkomaru at his side. "And George of MacBane," the symmetrical sibling joined the other two princes. "And without further ado, Zelda, please tell us whom you have chosen among these fine men as your husband." The princess regarded her father a moment quietly before she centered her nerves and hardened her determination.

"You've forgotten one, father," Zelda's bold voice spoke out to shatter the silence. One of the royals from Terabithia stood and voiced his confusion, "but surely these are all of the suitors that have shown up, are they not…?" Zelda allowed herself a small smirk before sobering enough to call forth the forgotten suitor,

"You forgot to call forth Link of Hyrule."

After about two and a half seconds, the reality of what she just said clicked in his mind, and he stumbled shyly through the muttering crowd and joined the other three men in front of the crowd. He mentally thanked Zelda for finding an outfit that at least made him _look_ like a royal. Unfortunately, none of the kings and nobles before him were fooled, "pardon, Princess Zelda, but he is not of noble stature, is he…?"

"No, he is not."

"Then does that not disqualify him from being a suitor…?" The same noble pressed. However, Zelda always did have a knack for working well under pressure.

"He is my escort," she replied evenly, almost guardedly.

"I still do not see how this makes him worthy." Zelda visibly stiffened at the man's words, mentally thinking that if Link, one man, could save everyone from the perils of evil, then he should be worthy of the highest royal stature of any land he so chose. But that was not what made him a suitor, unfortunately.

"Under the Code of Hyrulian Law, Article thirty-three, sub-section four, all escorts and/or protectors of any man or woman of royal stature is granted with a title, but no power, the equivalent of the person or people that he/she is assigned to until they are dismissed. Link falls under both of these categories. Therefore, he is, until I dismiss him, a Prince of Hyrule," the noble whipped his head at the king of Hyrule, expecting him to interject or correct this statement- surely there was not such a law in this land-! When he made no such movement, the noble reluctantly sat back down, not wanting to interfere with any regulations in an area not under his rule. The king could not help but beam at his daughter, despite his usually stoic nature when near others.

"Now that all of the suitors are present, it is time to choose one, Zelda," her father re-informed her gently. With a smile and a slight nod, the Princess of Hyrule turned to face the four suitors. She let her eyes wander across each man, their soft blue hue shimmering in the light of the chandelier above the hall before she suddenly spoke,

"Before I choose the man I am to wed, I must thank you all for crossing paths with me; I find myself blessed to have gotten the chance to meet every one of you, you all have found a fond place in my heart. Though I am not choosing three of you, I do wish to still be able to maintain good terms among us, and that our destinies remain connected in at least some small way." All four men nodded their heads eagerly with small smiles. The chokehold of pain that had clenched Link's heart tightened in his chest, and he had to fight off the urge to lower his head, but he could not help that his eyes found themselves downcast to the floor before him as Zelda continued, "there is, however, only one man among you that I have found to be the most captivating, charming, and protective gentleman, the one I would be honored to rule alongside in the future, to be able to share a bond with," and with those final words, she made her way over to her chosen suitor, watching him with deep, love-filled eyes. "And that man…would be you, O Link of Hyrule."

His eyes snapped up to her, wide and in awe. Out of the other men that she could have chosen, among the princes and the nobles, she chose the pauper of them. No, he corrected himself mentally; she had chosen her best friend. Her arms found their way around his shoulders and waist as she pressed herself close to him. "I had oft times tried to push away my feelings for you, Link, for the sake of Hyrule…but I couldn't control them, and before I could stop myself, I had fallen for my protector…deeply," ah, and how familiar those choice words had sounded, Zelda thought happily as she remembered his own confession just the night before. Link's muscles, tense from the shock, softened under her touch, as did his eyes.

"Zelda…" he returned her embrace wholly as he nuzzled his cheek against the side of her head. The king suddenly clapped his hands once and called in his booming voice, "I believe that my daughter has chosen!"

Had the new couple not been entirely lost in each other, they might have noticed the music beginning again, and everyone else staring to sweep across the dance floor as they danced merrily, picking up where they left off before they were interrupted. But the rest of the background life was lost to the two lovers as Link pressed his forehead comfortably against Zelda's. He rubbed his nose affectionately with hers with a smile so wide that its radiance rivaled that of the lighting in the entire castle, a smile that was happily returned by the princess in his arms. As they looked into each other's eyes, they each made a silent promise- to never leave their love's side, to always protect them and cherish them even after death. Though with a light laugh from both teens as they let the current of dancing couples sweep them away, they realized that they had been fulfilling that promise their entire lives.

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Again, please forgive me for the long wait! This ending was so hard to get down exactly the way that I wanted it! Gyaaa!

…Well, in any case, please review and tell me what you thought about it. I look forward to doing more Legend of Zelda work once I've finished other stories of mine in other areas of FanFiction. See you around!


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